


'Super'girl

by frostfire95



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2020-07-31 00:41:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 56,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20106319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frostfire95/pseuds/frostfire95
Summary: National City has a new resident. Lena Luthor a new assistant. Things have been normal so far, but an unexpected visitor changes everything for Sydney. Everyone finds out who they are at some point. And some people are a bit more super than they believed.





	1. Not All Heroes Wear Capes (But We All Know One Who Does)

**Author's Note:**

> Started this before season five premiered

National City. Home of Supergirl and Dreamer and quite a few other heroes. And me. Sydney Fox. Been in the city for about a month, trying to figure out just how I fit in here. Somehow got lucky enough to get a job as Lena Luthor's assistant. You know,_ the_ Lena Luthor. Genius. Millionaire. Unsung hero of National City. She's saved the city, and the world, at least as many times as Supergirl. And I'm her assistant. Sure, it's not glamorous, but it's a job, and it's Lena Luthor. So far, she hasn't asked much of me. Get coffee, schedule meetings, normal assistant things. I don't think she trusted me. She never outright said it, but I kept noticing the way she was constantly watching everything I did. She was trying to be subtle about it, but I was good at noticing little things like that. I let it go though. I needed the job and I was sure she had her reasons. I would earn her trust though. I wasn't going anywhere.

"Ms. Luthor, I moved your next meeting to tomorrow, just like you requested. Um, I was going to head out for lunch and wanted to check if you wanted anything?" I poked my head into her office. She wasn't at her desk. She was out on the balcony, pacing it looked like. When I'd started, she'd told me to leave her alone whenever she was out there. Usually she was on a call or something and just didn't want to be disturbed. And I listened to her. I wasn't going to blow this chance over something stupid. But something seemed different this time. I couldn't help noticing the almost empty bottle of wine on her desk. I could just leave her be, let her work through whatever it was on her own, but it didn't feel right to leave her alone. I sighed, hoping I wasn't about to lose one of the few good things I had in the city. I shut the door behind me and walked outside, knocking on that door too, making sure she knew I was there.

"Ms. Luthor? I'm sorry to bother you out here. I wouldn't if it wasn't important, but, um, I just wanted to make sure you knew I had moved your meeting and was on my way out to get lunch." No use lying to her. Not sure she would've known. Pretty sure she was a little drunk. She was glaring at me a little bit, glass in hand.

"Lunch? Really? Sure you're not going to raise the ghost of my brother to conspire against me? Making nefarious plans to make me look like the villain? Or maybe you're off to save a bus full of children. I would never know. And you would never tell me. But why would you? You barely know me. Even if you did, you would still keep it from me. Right?"

"Ms. Luthor, I'm sorry. I don't quite know what you're talking about. I promise, I am just heading out for maybe half an hour. If you don't want anything, or want me to wait, that's totally fine." I knew she wasn't angry at me. At least, I sincerely hoped she wasn't angry with me.

"Oh, don't play dumb. Your predecessors were duplicitous backstabbers, why should you be any different? Why would anyone in this city trust me? Why would Supergirl trust me? She doesn't care."

"Um, I'm sure that's not true. I haven't really seen much of her yet, but Supergirl seems to care about everyone she meets. And you have worked together to save the city. She doesn't work with just anybody."

"She works with everyone. And tells them everything. And then goes on saving everyone. Think she'll hear me? The lone Luthor in National City? Her so called 'friend'?" She somehow managed to climb onto the edge of the railing, just barely. This was definitely not something I had signed up for. Drunk boss going through something was not something I had experience with. But she had to get down, and as much as I trusted Supergirl to save the day, it was very possible she was busy with something across the country.

"I'm sure she'd save you. She saves everyone."

"Should we test that theory? Come on Supergirl! I know you can hear me! Are you going to come to save the day or will the world be free of the Luthor legacy? Come on Supergirl!" Even in her heels, she managed to walk a few steps along the railing.

"Ms. Luthor please. Supergirl may not even be in the city." I stepped closer, needing her to get down for her own sake.

"Someone is around. They're always keeping an eye on me, I'm sure. Being an untrustworthy Luthor and all."

"Come on Ms. Luthor. You are so much more than that. Your last name may be Luthor, but it means something entirely different now. It's not synonomous with evil. You've saved lives. Countless lives. Both with Supergirl and on your own. Your advances in medicine have revolutionized how diseases are being treated. Your technology is making things better for people everywhere." I hesitated before hauling myself up next to her, doing my best to not look down. She seemed surprised by the action.

"You're just saying that. No one believes in me. No one cares about all the good I've done to erase the stain of my brother. Lex. The bastard is still ruining my life."

"No one even mentions Lex when talking about the Luthor's anymore. He had his moment in the spotlight. You are the one everyone talks about now. Sure, not everyone is all to nice about who you are, but the vast majority believe in you and the good you've done. You've proven that you are not him. And will never be him. L-Corp is something good and no one can take that away from you, even though they've tried. Supergirl knows this already. If you were even remotely similar to your brother, I'm sure she would've done something about it by now. She's had years. She knows who you are. Please just get down. I have no doubts that she would swoop in and save you if you fell. You have to know that." It was taking almost all I had to keep focused on her, and not the ground, waaay down below us. But I had to make sure she knew I was being honest. I watched her as she thought about everything I'd said. I may not have had all the facts, but I thought I had made some pretty compelling points. She closed her eyes for a second, somehow without losing her balance, and sighed.

"You're right. Supergirl is a hero and has her reasons for keeping things from people I'm sure."

"Exactly. I'm sure she never meant to piss you off. I'm no expert, but it doesn't quite seem like something she'd do."

"It really isn't her style to make people angry. I'm truly sorry for all this. Really. This is not what your job is supposed to be. You mentioned lunch correct?" I nodded, watching her carefully as she got down. I made sure both her feet were firmly on solid ground before following her down.

"Yes, I did. It may seem a little unprofessional, but I keep passing this pizza place on the way here and," I felt my foot slip from underneath me the instant Lena's eyes widened in terror. She reached me right as I managed to get a grip in the edge, feet scrabbling for some sort of traction. No luck there. My fingers were having a similar problem as I tried to dig my nails into the solid surface. She was leaning over the rail, holding onto my arm.

"No, no, no, no. Supergirl! I know you're listening to me! Supergirl, come on!" She shouted, louder than before. I couldn't help glancing over and down.

"You'd think the elevator ride would be longer with us being so high up." I commented. She looked at me like I'd lost my mind. And maybe I had, a little bit. The scared part of my brain had apparently fallen to the ground already, because I wasn't even remotely afraid of falling. I'd done what needed to be done and gotten Lena down. That mattered way more than my safety.

"Supergirl! Where are you? Come on Kara! I know you can hear me! SUPERGIRL!" My hands slipped free and Lena was the only thing keeping me from falling, and I knew she wouldn't be able to hold on for long.

"I'm sure she's on her way. And if not, maybe her friend the martian. Pretty sure he can fly too. Right?"

"Yes, he flies too. Come on Supergirl. Kara, dammit! Fly faster!" I watched my shirt slip from her fingers and suddenly, I was afraid again. I didn't have a chance to process it before I was falling though. I didn't even think to shout for Supergirl either. I was wondering how long it would take to hit the ground. I think I was maybe halfway there when something stopped me. Someone actually. Supergirl had arrived and we were heading back up. We landed well away from the edge and she set me down carefully. I stumbled back a couple steps, resting my hand on the glass behind me.

"Thank God." Lena rushed over and I was surprised when she wrapped her arms around me. That was when I realized I was shaking. "You're okay. She saved you."

"Told you she would." I mumbled before backing up a bit more. Supergirl was standing there patiently, concerned.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Yeah I'm fine. I'm sure my hair will be impossible to untangle when I get home tonight, but that's a problem for later." I was still shaking some, but the danger had passed and I was already calming down. And putting together a puzzle in my head. Looking at her, you never would have guessed it was Kara Danvers. Because there was no way Lena knew two Kara's. But I didn't say anything about it. Her identity was the biggest secret there was, and Lena had just blurted it out next to a total stranger.

"Great. That's good. Um, Lena, could I talk to you for a minute? Alone?"

"I don't really know Supergirl. Do you want to talk to me now?" I saw the hurt on her face again. Something had happened between them, something big, and I had an idea of what it was.

"Don't worry about it Ms. Luthor. I'll hold any calls until this has been sorted out. Some things just take precedence." Supergirl smiled a little and they watched me walk back inside. I shut the door behind me, giving them as much privacy as I could. I walked back to my desk outside and sat down heavily. I ran my hands through my hair, trying to look presentable again, just in case anyone came up. I was not going to look like a mess if I had to tell someone they couldn't see Lena at the moment. I didn't think I'd actually have to worry about it, but when the elevator dinged a few minutes later, I was glad I'd tried. I didn't recognize the man who came out, but that wasn't a huge surprise. Someone new came to visit almost every day.

"I'm sorry sir, but Ms. Luthor isn't seeing anyone at the moment. She is in the middle of an important meeting." The guy didn't seem to hear me and walked right in. "Hey. Sir, excuse me. She's busy." I stood hastily and followed him. He was looking around and didn't see Supergirl and Lena outside. I stepped around him, attempting to keep him where he was.

"Seriously, she's busy. And you're being rude. If you don't leave now, I'll call security up to remove you. And trust me, they won't be as polite as I am." He saw the two of them and made for the doors, pushing me aside. I really did not have the patience for this. And after almost falling to my death, stopping some jackass on a mission would be easy. I got in front of him again and shoved him back. He looked surprised when he actually stumbled backwards. I was stronger than I looked and it always caught people off guard.

"Move girl. You are not my concern."

"Well, Ms. Luthor is my concern. And really? Girl? Be a bit more condescending and call me kiddo while you're at it. Leave. Now. You're clearly not here for any good reason and I'm calling security." There was a little button for just that on Lena's desk and we were almost there. Neither of them seemed to have noticed the problem inside and that was just fine. They had their issues to work out. I pushed him back again when he started forward, clearly not taking the hint.

"Very well. I was instructed to see Lena Luthor. You are preventing that from happening. You bring this on yourself." He pulled a knife out from inside his jacket. How security had missed that was beyond me, but there it was. Sharp and dangerous and coming right at me. I jumped back just in time. If this guy thought taking me out would be easy, he was mistaken. I'd taken all sorts of classes on self-defense and hand to hand combat in my free time. And I had excelled at them. I ducked under his arm and punched him in the stomach. He stumbled back again. I took advantage of his shock and tried to kick his leg out from under him. But he'd recovered and grabbed my foot before I could hit him. I wrenched myself free before he could break anything. I managed to keep him from stabbing me, but he did get in a few hits and slashes. But he wasn't going to be without bruises either.

"Leave. Ms. Luthor. Alone." I hit him with each word, driving him back. I thought I was doing pretty good, until I stumbled on the air. Literally nothing was on the ground, and yet, I tripped. He took advantage of the slip and punched me. I'd definitely be feeling that on the side of my face in the morning. It took too long to recover and I knew it. He lunged forward and it felt like I got punched in the gut, only it was sharper and hurt way more. He stepped back, the knife red up to the handle. He hesitated, unsure. I didn't wait and kicked at his leg again. He shouted in pain when his knee cracked and he went down. I didn't hold back and punched him one more time, as hard as I could. Something whooshed past me, pulling him away, holding him above the ground. Supergirl had finally stepped in. I figured she'd get to it. I just had to hold him off. I moved back to let her do her job. Lena came inside slowly, confusion all over her face.

"Supergirl? What is this? Who is he?"

"No idea. But I aim to find out. Alex, I'm going to need an assist over at L-Corp." she started a conversation with someone else.

"Ms. Luthor?" They both looked over at me. I couldn't help but think I'd been forgotten about. I had a hand pressed up against my side, but I'm sure the blood wasn't hard to miss on the blue shirt I'd worn.

"Sydney? Oh my god. Hang on, help is on the way." She pulled a towel out of her desk and carefully moved my hand aside before pressing it down. I winced, but didn't really have the strength to do much else. I sat down on the floor, trying my best to stay conscious, but it was a losing battle.

"Sydney, you're going to be alright. Okay?"

"Okay. Sure. I trust you guys. Sorry about the mess." I added, just before passing out.

I came to in a hospital room. I assumed that's where I was. I kept my eyes shut to listen to what was being said about me.

"I don't know how to explain it Kara, but there's something different about her. She's lucky to be alive."

"I know Alex. I was there. I thought she was going to die on the way here. She's not an alien is she?"

"I don't think so. Just some of her tests had some strange results. I plan on looking into it more, it's just going to take some time. But I've gotta go. Nia texted that she couldn't find Jeremiah's Martian Manhunter."

"I can't believe your kids' favorite toy is J'onn."

"I think it's because it's green, but don't tell J'onn that. You'll let me know if you notice anything else strange before she heads home?"

"Of course. Go. Your son needs you." I listened to a set of footsteps leave the room and a door shut. I counted to five hundred in my head and opened my eyes. Kara Danvers was sitting in a chair against the wall, writing something in her notebook. I sat up slowly, stretching just a little bit.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. The doctor will have a cow if you ruin a stitch." she put her notebook away and smiled.

"Oh, okay. Um, where is the doctor?"

"I assume with Lena. They're figuring out some paperwork. We didn't know who to call for you. Your file didn't have an emergency contact."

"Um, yeah. I don't really have one."

"Really? How does that happen?"

"You grow up without any siblings or close friends and your parents die when you're a teenager. And then you move across the country on short notice and don't have time to make even an acquaintance." I was a little embarrassed to admit it, but it was easier than lying.

"Wow. Um, I'm so sorry. I know how some of that feels. My parents died when I was thirteen. But you figured that out already right?"

"Sort of. I know Lena didn't mean to announce your secret like that, but people do strange things when they're panicked. I promise, I won't tell a soul. I've got no one to tell anyways."

"I believe you. And appreciate it. Really. Most people wouldn't keep a secret for a stranger."

"You're not just some random person though. Sure, you may be Supergirl, but you're Kara Danvers! I've been reading everything you published almost since the beginning. I read about Slaver's Moon and it was great. You clearly were passionate about what you were writing about and had all sorts of quotes and reports. After that, I made a point to read anything with your name on it."

"Well I'm flattered. You chose the right city to move to then. So, how'd you wind up working for Lena? Lately, she's been incredibly picky about who she lets near her office. You've lasted the longest, by a couple weeks I think."

"Oh, it was an accident really. I moved here with what savings I had, just enough for a down payment on an apartment. Got all moved in and needed a job ASAP. I figured I'd get something in a bookstore or restaurant. But I wanted to see come of the city first. And I couldn't just walk past L-Corp without going inside for a second. Lena Luthor is one of the greatest, not super, heroes out there. The image inducers alone are revolutionary. Helping aliens fit in and protect themselves while they adjust to a new planet, or just want to fit in for once." I could've kept going, but she laughed a little.

"Lena mentioned you were sort of a fan of hers. But go on."

"Oh, yeah that. So, I was walking past the building and had to go inside. It was L-Corp and hot out. Air conditioning seemed like a great excuse to go inside. It wasn't very busy and I wandered a little bit. And noticed a Help Wanted sign on the security desk. I figured it was for a guard post or something, but had to check. I barely had time to ask about it before someone came out of the elevator, looking a little frazzled. Pretty sure it was a temp that she'd just fired. Couldn't blame her for it either. He didn't look like he was organized in any way. But the head of security asked me a few questions, basic security stuff, and after a brief conversation with her, he sent me up. I figured, even if I didn't get the job, I was about to meet Lena Luthor. I went up, in my jeans and an old high school T-shirt, and had a job interview with one of my heroes. I left after about twenty minutes, not really expecting anything. A few days later, I get a call, saying I got the job."

"Huh. You must have done something right. Even before this whole debacle of a day, she liked you. After this, you may be her favorite assistant. Ever."

"Well, she's the best boss I've ever had."

"Aw thanks. Sometimes I need to hear that. Not many people would take a bullet for their new boss." Lena and the doctor came in right then.

"But you see, I didn't take a bullet. It was a knife. I've got to be there for a couple more months before I go for the bullet."

"Let's not joke about that. You barely made it out of this."

"She's not wrong Ms. Fox. You got lucky. The knife missed your bones, your organs, really anything important. And it was a clean wound, so it wasn't too difficult to patch you right up."

"Well thanks Doc. Good to know my childhood luck has followed me. I'm really good at getting lucky in accidents."

"I wasn't going to bring it up, but you're not wrong. It took some digging to find your medical history, but we managed."

"Awesome. So, when can I go home? Not that these accommodations aren't swell, but my phone charger and books and literally anything to do are either in my living or bedroom." He laughed a little bit.

"You should be able to leave in a few hours. We just need to be sure everything is going to heal properly before we can send you on your way. If you need anything, just call for a nurse. I've got a couple other patients to check in on."

"Of course. Thank you Doctor." Lena shook his hand before he left.

"Sydney, I am so sorry for all of this. This whole day has been one nightmare after another for you. I promise I will help you find something just as suitable somewhere else. You will have a glowing recommendation from me. Kara, is anyone at CatCo in need of an assistant? Nia? James before he leaves?"

"Wait, wait. I don't want to go anywhere. I like working for you. Today was just an off day. One in a million."

"Really? You want to stay? Even after what almost happened because of me?"

"What? Stabby McPsycho? Not your fault."

"I meant you falling off my balcony."

"Oh that. Also not your fault. My shoes have terrible grip and it's not like I'll be climbing up there regularly. You were upset and everyone has a right to act out on it from time to time. Even Lena Luthor. You're just as human as the rest of us. Well, as me I suppose. You being Kryptonian and all." they both smiled some.

"You're absolutely sure you want to stick around?"

"Of course. It's the best thing I've got going for me here and I'm not walking away from it because of one bad day."

"That is wonderful to hear. Really. I didn't want to think about replacing you. Even before this, I was impressed. You never flinched at anything I said. And I lost my temper a number of times."

"You're not the first boss I've had that snapped at me. Really. You didn't throw anything at me."

"Of course I didn't. I'm not a monster."

"You'd be surprised. It's happened once or twice." I yawned a little, signaling the end of the conversation.

"Look at us, keeping you awake. Even if you're more or less alright, you still had a long day. You can call Lena tomorrow or the next day to figure out when you are able to go back to work. And thank you Sydney. For being there for her when I should have been."

"Just doing my job. Helping out Ms. Luthor with the day to day mundane tasks."

"Mundane. Okay. Call me when you're ready to come back in."

"Will do." I waved as they left. Only when the door clicked shut did I let the smile fade.

What a day it had been. Almost fell to my death trying to wrangle a drunk Lena Luthor off a ledge. Got stabbed by some random stranger after Lena. And Kara Danvers was Supergirl.

Couldn't wait to see what tomorrow was going to bring.


	2. Superhero Meet and Greet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After an insane day at work, Sydney heads home from the hospital, still reeling from what she'd learned about her heroes. Being new in town isn't the easiest thing to deal with and adjusting is taking a little more time than anticipated. Maybe things will get better with a little help from the Super Friends. Right?

"Alright Ms. Fox, everything looks good. You can head home now if you want. Though it is quite alright if you feel the need to stay longer."

"Thanks Doc, but I really am not a fan of hospitals. Bad memories and all that. But thank you, so much, for keeping me alive this time around. Really appreciate it." I bent down a little awkwardly to tie my shoes. It stung a little, but it really didn't feel like I'd been stabbed, so something was working.

"Very well. Just keep an eye on the stitches and if you feel any pain, take a few Advil. If it persists, come back in and we'll make sure it's nothing serious."

"Will do." I put my phone in my pocket and followed him out. He pointed me in the direction of the nurses station and went on his way. I went the opposite direction, really just wanting to go home.

"Um, hi. I'm checking myself out and need to figure out how I'll be paying for it. I'm pretty sure I've got some insurance, but I don't remember what exactly it covers."

"You're Sydney Fox right?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Your bill and everything has been taken care of already. Ms. Luthor had it all handled a few hours ago, just before she left."

"Really? She did?"

"She did. She said to tell you that you had gone above and beyond what was expected and you shouldn't have to worry about this too."

"Oh. Well okay. Thanks for the help then."

"Oh, she did leave this for you. As a thank you." She handed over a small box and I put it in my bag. I'd open it when I got home.

"Thanks. Exit that way then?"

"It is. Just take the elevator down and it should be easy enough to find."

"Awesome. Thank you."

"You're welcome." I tapped my foot as I waited for the elevator to move along. I really, really hated hospitals, but I wasn't going to let it show. The doors dinged as they opened and I pressed the button for the first floor. It was easy enough to find my way out when I followed the signs. I blinked rapidly once I stepped outside. The sun hadn't set quite yet and was reflecting off almost everything. I started walking, looking for a bus stop. Way easier than driving around in a city I didn't know. It just took a little longer to get home than I was used to. And I was tired when we finally got to my stop. And a little sore. I walked the couple blocks to my building and after some fumbling for the right key, let myself inside.

"Rent is due in three days Ms. Fox."

"So you keep reminding me Mr. Scott. I get paid in four. I thought we went over this when I moved in. You knew I was going to be late with the first payment."

"I know you said you might be late. Never heard anything else, so I assumed it'd be on time."

"My bad. I thought I mentioned it at our weekly building party. That's right, we don't have those. Silly me." He glared, but followed up the stairs to my apartment.

"Aren't you working for that Lena Luthor? I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to ask for an advance."

"It wouldn't be, no. But I'm still sort of new at this and asking my boss for this favor didn't seem right." Not sure why this was the conversation we were having, but oh well.

"Right or not, rent is due in three days. If you're an hour late, that's a breech of your lease and you'll be out of here." And he went off to harass someone else.

"Awesome. Because why would living here be simple?" I mumbled, unlocking my door. I tossed my keys onto the table and went to the kitchen to make something quick to eat. I was starving and hospital food just hadn't done it for me. I sat down with a sandwich and pulled out the gift I'd been given. I recognized the design now that I was looking at it.

"No way. There's no way she'd get me a new phone." I opened it, expecting something else to be in the box. Nope. Brand new cell phone. State of the art, newest thing on the market, way out of my price range. There was a note attached to the front of it.

_Sydney, please don't think this is strange or that I am in any way buying you. I couldn't help noticing that your phone was a little older than most of the wine I usually drink. I need you to have something that'll be able to keep up with your work. I need to be able to trust that you can do whatever I need, whether you're at your desk or across the city. This was the easiest way to ensure that. I took the liberty of putting in a few numbers that may come in handy. If you could just let me know you made it home and when you'll be back to work, that would be great. Thank you so much. Lena Luthor_

"Well I'll be damned. Thank you Ms. Luthor." I turned it on and looked at the new contacts. Sam Arias, Alex and Kara Danvers, Querl (Brainy) Dox, J'onn J'onzz, Lena Luthor, Nia Nal, James and Kelly Olsen. Quite the group of people. I recognized almost every name as someone I admired. I assumed they were also people in on Kara's secret. I quickly texted Lena a thank you, letting her know I was home and would be to work on time in the morning. I messed with the settings on the phone for a little, getting used to it and making sure an alarm was set. It didn't take long for me to fall asleep once I laid down.

I woke up only a little later than I planned, having been unable to stay asleep for long without rolling over into my side. I didn’t even bother with breakfast. Just took my coffee and ran. Mr. Scott seemed to be waiting for me, but I didn’t have time for a conversation.

”Don’t forget what we talked about. Pay up or move out!” He called as I passed him. It took most of my self control to not flip him off. He’d probably use it against me. I barely made it to the bus in time.

”First time I’ve seen you sprinting to catch me. Long night?”

”Oh yeah. Huge party, way too much fun. No one ever oversleeps.” I chose a seat and relaxed a little. The running had been a bad idea. I was relieved no one sat next to me as we went along, I liked being left alone. I waved at the head of security as I passed his desk. I hoped someone had talked to him about how someone had screwed up yesterday.

”Sorry I’m late Ms. Luthor.” She looked at her watch, frowning.

”You’re not late. You’re right on time.”

"Oh. Awesome."

"You didn't push it too much did you? Because if you're going to overwork yourself for my sake, I'm sending you on vacation or something."

"I promise, I didn't do anything crazy." she believed me and glanced at her computer, "You're first meeting of the day isn't for about another hour, unless you changed something while I was otherwise indisposed."

"You mean in the hospital."

"Yes, yes I do. But I figured it'd be best to not mention that. It'll just make your morning more of a hassle than it needs to be. So, meeting in an hour. You good otherwise?"

"Yes, yes I'm fine. Go sit down before I change my mind and send you home."

"Fair enough." I left her to do whatever and waited patiently at my desk. Thankfully the day was quiet. No one came to attack Lena and I didn't have to get her off a balcony. I was grateful, because I didn't really think I could handle doing it again. I was logging out of my computer when she came out of her office, shaking hands with the last person of the day.

"Thank you Ms. Luthor. Really. Your support of this means the world to us."

"Of course. You can expect a call and donation within a week." he left and she sighed in relief when the elevator doors closed.

"That was the last of the day right?"

"Yep. You've got game night to get to so I made sure you'd have time to spare in case anything ran long."

"Of course you did. Have you been doing that this whole time?"

"I figured it out after the first week. You had to cut something short when it took too long. I didn't know what for, but figured it out the week after when you had a board game brought up. You left with it."

"Huh. Good to know you're detail oriented. It's incredibly useful. So, uh, do you have anything going on tonight?"

"Not really, no. Probably going to head home, watch some movies. Maybe order some food. I don't remember what I have in my kitchen."

"Would you like to come to game night? I was talking to Kara and she thinks it's a great idea. We could introduce you to everyone else, if you would like. You are in no way obligated to join though. I know it'd be a lot to take in, especially after yesterday, but we think you would be a great addition."

"Really? I thought it was like a family thing. I may be in on your biggest group secret, but I don't think I'm really worth it yet."

"Of course you are. You saved me. Twice."

"Pretty sure Supergirl did the saving the second time around. And you would've been fine before then."

"I'm really not so sure. Things have been, difficult, between Supergirl and I. I've actually been avoiding her when I could. I went to game night because it was expected of me. Yesterday was the first real conversation I've had with my best friend in months."

"Glad I could help with that I guess. But you're serious? You guys want me there?"

"We do. It was unanimous. Even Brainy is curious about you."

"I'm flattered? I guess if you really think I won't be imposing or anything, I could tag along."

"Excellent. You can call down for my driver to bring the car out."

"Of course." I did as I was asked and we headed down. The car was right out front, the driver waiting patiently.

"Game night Ms. Luthor?"

"You know it is."

"Are we making an extra stop along the way?" he asked, looking at me strangely.

"Not today. Just straight to Kara's apartment will do."

"Very well. After you ladies." He opened the door and I followed Lena in. And let me tell you, that was one of the strangest car rides of my life. I didn't know how to act around her outside of work. She was my boss.

"So, um, thank you for taking care of the hospital bill for me. And the phone. Forgot to tell you that earlier. I really appreciate it."

"Of course. It was the least I could do. You got hurt defending me. You were on the clock and should probably have gotten workman's compensation or something. I feel like I should look into that."

"No, no. Don't worry about it. I'm fine and everything is already taken care of. And I'm sure I'd have to handle the paperwork."

"Of course. If that's what you'd prefer."

"Absolutely. So, um, if you don't mind my asking, but why the rotating temps before I showed up? No one good enough for Lena Luthor?"

"It's a very long, very complicated story. I'll just say this. Should you ever have the chance to throw my trust back in my face, give me some warning."

"I would never Ms. Luthor. Yours or anyone else's trust." And I meant it.

"You can call me Lena. I think you've earned that much."

"Okay."

"Kara mentioned what you two talked about yesterday. How your parents died when you were younger. I hope that was alright of her to say." I shrugged.

"It wasn't really a secret. It's just not something that comes up in regular conversation. It's not like they were murdered in front of me like Bruce Wayne's or destroyed with their planet like Kara's. It was a car accident. Nothing nefarious about it."

"I'm sorry. Really. I lost my mother when I was four. I know it's not the same, but it seems to be something our little family has in common. We've all lost people."

"Good to know I'll fit right in."

We stopped and I glanced out the window. We were on the opposite side of the city and it was a hell of a lot nicer than what I was used to. I recognized Nia Nal and James Olsen walking inside the building.

"Ready?"

"As I'll ever be." I followed her inside and up. Kara's door was open wide and she led the way in. I recognized half the people that waved when they saw Lena. I let her go ahead, feeling like the new kid in class.

"You guys didn't see Brainy anywhere on your way up did you? He was on his way back with pizza." Nia asked, watching the door.

"We didn't, but I'm sure he's almost here. He knows not to be late or he goes last in Pictionary."

"And such a shame that would be. Denying you all of my artistic talent should be a crime. Excuse me Sydney." I jumped a little and moved out of the doorway. Brainy was carrying four giant pizza boxes and he set them on the counter with a flourish.

"Come on Sydney. Don't be shy, none of us will bite." Kara motioned for me to come closer. I hesitated for a second before joining them, "Brainy, Nia, James, J'onn, this is Sydney. Pretty sure I mentioned her yesterday and earlier today at work."

"Indeed you did. Welcome Sydney." J'onn shook my hand first. I had a feeling he was the father of the group.

"Hi Sydney. Nia Nal. And that was Brainy with the pizza. Nice to meet you." James just waved as he got out plates and glasses. I listened to them all have their own conversations. This was another normal day for them. A regular thing. I was still processing that I had just been introduced to a handful of people I'd admired for years. They were arguing about teams when the last two came inside. Last three I suppose.

"Jeremiah! What are you doing here?" Kara was across the room in a second, taking the toddler from what I assumed was her sister Alex. He laughed when she tossed him in the air.

"The sitter fell through at the last minute. But we didn't want to cancel again."

"Don't worry about it at all. It's about time he met the whole family at once anyways." Kara flew him around like a little super and I couldn't help laughing with the others. I moved forward to help Kelly with the few things she'd brought in.

"Thank you. Sydney right?" I set the backpack and playpen against a wall.

"Yeah. Kelly Olsen?"

"I'm the last to be introduced aren't I?"

"Basically." I looked back at everyone showering attention on Jeremiah.

"They take a little getting used to, but it's absolutely worth it."

"Thanks. I'll try to remember that." she smiled and went to join the rest of them. I waited patiently as they debated what game to play first and who would be on what team.

"I don't know if we have enough expansions to play Catan."

"And that is why I suggested Pictionary. We can have teams and it'll work better." Alex excused herself from the debate and came over to set up the play pen.

"Nice to meet you Sydney." I helped her hold the thing steady while she put it together.

"You too."

"I'm not sure if anyone has said this already, but thank you. For what you did yesterday. If anything had happened to Lena, I don't know what would have happened to our family." She glanced back, smiling at her son.

"I'm sure it would have been alright. Supergirl got to me in time. She would have gotten Lena even faster."

"I don't really doubt that. And she is sorry it took so long to get you. Not exactly her personal best, though she won't tell you that. But you got them to talk to each other. That is more than any of us have been able to do for months. How'd you manage it?"

"I sort of just locked them on the balcony. I don't think either of them was going to tell me no at that moment."

"I knew we should've just locked them in a room together. Would have solved everything."

"Mommy! Look!" We both turned and Jeremiah was beaming. I stared. Martian Manhunter was standing in the living room. It took a second to realize that J'onn was the missing face.

"Oh. That makes sense." Alex laughed.

"There's a few secret identities here." she stood and took him back.

"I'll say."

The first game started a little after that, Charades somehow winning. I just kept watching them. I wasn't sure when I'd be comfortable actively playing. I was putting my plate in the sink when Jeremiah made a noise behind me. He was frowning at all the grown-ups.

"Hey buddy, what's up?" I glanced over and Alex was watching us. She smiled some and went back to watching her sister walk around like a chicken.

"I wanna play."

"Oh really?" I climbed over the gate and sat next to him. He watched me, not really sure who I was. But he nodded, "Okay. What am I?" I started flapping my arms like wings.

"A bird!"

"Exactly. How'd you know?"

"You had wings."

"I guess I did. You try." He thought for a minute before he started crawling around, panting like a dog, "Hmm, are you a cat?"

"No!"

"Of course, of course. My bad. Hmm. Oh, of course. You're a dog."

"Yes!" he barked to prove it. We went a couple more rounds before I stumped him acting like a tree.

"What else do you like to do?"

"Stories!" He pointed at the bag beside the gate. I pulled a couple books out of it.

"Which one?" he chose and I sat down with my back against the wall. He climbed onto my lap so he could see the pages. It stung a little, but not too bad. I started at the beginning and he made all sorts of comments. They got fewer and fewer and I realized he'd fallen asleep. I set the book on the ground. I really didn't want to get up and disturb him. And it wasn't too uncomfortable on the floor. And I was tired. No one had needed me yet. I figured the mothers were glad I was keeping their kid happy while they had their fun. I leaned my head back against the wall and it wasn't long before I was asleep too.

”Think she‘ll sleep all night?”

”I’m kind of hoping so. I really should have just let her go home earlier. She looked exhausted.”

”We were just trying to be nice. I thought she’d enjoy it.” I rolled over and sat up quickly when I realized I wasn’t on the floor or in my room.

”Crap. I’m sorry you guys. You invited me here and I totally ignored you all and fell asleep.” I rubbed my face, pretty sure my watch had left an impression on my cheek.

”Don’t be sorry. You entertained Jeremiah and Alex was grateful for that. Getting him to sleep is no easy task and you somehow managed it. And we really shouldn't have tried to push this on you. You needed rest."

"I know. I could've gone home first though. Not make you move me onto your couch. Even when you have super strength, it's just impolite." My shoes were sitting next to couch, making me feel worse. I was a guest and they really shouldn't have to be taken care of like a child.

"Sydney, it was really no trouble. You deserved a little sleep, undisturbed. And you are more than welcome to stay here for the rest of the night."

"Thank you Kara, but I need to go home. I'm sure my landlord is staking out the door, wondering if I forgot to come back after our little chat last night." That reminded me that I hadn't had a chance to ask Lena for an advance. Now was not the time though. I tied my shoes and stood up carefully, a little sore from being curled up.

"Seems like a nice man. I can call a car for you." Lena said, pulling out her phone.

"No, don't worry about it. I've basically got the bus scheduled memorized and don't want to inconvenience you guys anymore. Besides, you should probably go home too and I'm not going to take your ride." They were shaking their heads, but didn't try to convince me otherwise, which I appreciated. I really didn't want to argue with them.

"Alright. If you insist. See you in the office later?"

"Of course. Thank you again Kara." I picked up my jacket on the way out and headed downstairs. I pulled my phone out just to double check where the bus stop was. Not a long walk at all. And it was a nice night for once, and I had no issues walking.

The ride was longer than I was used to, but I passed the time easily with my phone.

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?" I glanced around, confused why she was asking when there were so many other seats available, but it was late.

"Um, no." I scooted over some, to make room.

"Thank you." she sat down, looking a little nervous, "I'm sorry if I'm being weird, but that guy over there has been trying to talk to me since he got on the bus. I'm hoping he'll leave me alone if he thinks I know you."

"Oh, of course. I'll be your best friend if I have to. Lifelong friends getting reacquainted on the bus ride home."

"Thanks." She didn't say anything else and I kept an eye on the guy in question. He didn't leave his seat, but I noticed him glance our way a couple times.

"So, you normally ride this late or just a fluke? Not trying to be weird, but if we don't talk, he's going to figure it out."

"It's a new development. School started recently so I'm at work later now, grading papers and making lesson plans."

"A teacher huh? That's cool. I used to want to do that, but didn't have the resources to go to school to try."

"It's pretty great. This is my second year, so I sort of know what I'm doing now." We got to another stop and a few more people got on, making it harder for the guy to be creepy. She relaxed a little bit more. And got off a few stops later.

"Thank you."

"Of course." the guy watched her for a second before he turned his attention to someone else. When I got home, I had the beginnings of an idea to run by Lena later. Right before I asked for an advance. Should be a fun day.


	3. What Else Could Go Wrong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being Lena Luthor's assistant isn't always the easiest thing. But Sydney has managed it extraordinarily well, all things considered. And she has an idea or two that could help the Luthor name even more. Not to mention, hanging out with Supergirl and her friends. National City was finally starting to feel like home.

”Sydney, you know you don’t have to eat your lunch alone out there right? You are more than welcome to sit in here.” Lena said, poking her head out the door.

”Oh, um, alright. Thanks.” I picked up my sandwich and joined her in her office.

”I just wanted to apologize again for sort of making you go to game night. You weren’t up for it, and I told you to go.”

”Don’t worry about it. Really. I could have said no. I wanted to go, but was just more tired than I had thought. Not your fault at all.”

”If you’re sure.”

”I am. I promise.” We ate quietly for a little bit as I worked up the nerve to tell her about the idea I had thought of last night.

”You’re trying to work up the nerve to pitch me something aren’t you?”

”How’d you know?”

”A lot of the people who come to meet with me have similar looks on their faces before they start talking. What is it?”

”Okay. Um, well I take the bus everywhere around the city. All the time. Except for really late at night. Last night, I couldn’t help noticing how it can be super uncomfortable and even dangerous for women coming or going from work at that time. Some random woman sat next to me so some guy would leave her alone. And it got me thinking about how to make it easier for people, mainly women, to get home safely after work when it’s the middle of the night. I haven’t had time to really think through the logistics or anything, but I thought maybe it was something you could get behind. Make the Luthor name even better than it already is. Maybe help convince the minority that you are not Lex.”

”So something like all the ride shares out there?”

”Sort of. I mean, I didn’t initially think of charging for it, but if it’s something you think we need to do, go ahead. But I know the company has a bunch of drivers on retainer and if it’s not too ridiculous of a plan, maybe use them. They’ve already been vetted and everything so you know they won’t try to abduct anyone or anything like that. And it doesn’t have to be for just women, though that’ll be the target and trial run probably to see if it is even a viable thing to do.” Lena was nodding and writing a couple things.

”I think that is a brilliant idea Sydney. And yes, it could take some time to implement, but I don’t see why anyone would be opposed to it.”

Really? That’s awesome.” I paused, not wanting to immediately follow up with the stupid favor I needed, but she was good at reading people it seemed.

”There’s something else isn’t there?”

”Just a small thing really. I wouldn’t bring it up if it wasn’t important. But, um, my landlord has helpfully reminded me that my rent is due tomorrow. I keep telling him I’ll have it the day after, but he says it’d be a breach of my lease or something and is kind of threatening to throw me out. I really hate asking for this, but, um."

"You need an advance on your paycheck?"

"Um, yes. Please. If it's possible."

"Of course it's possible. Just send a note down to payroll, they'll verify it with me, and you'll be fine. Why didn't you mention it sooner if it's so dire?"

"I sort of forgot. And didn't want to make a nuisance of myself. You've already done so much for me, with the job and introducing me to your friends, and I thought I'd be able to talk some sense into him. Kind of just ran out of time. Thank you, so much. I really hope this is the only time I have to ask for this."

”It’s no problem Sydney. And if you ever need help again, don’t hesitate to ask.”

”I’ll try to remember. Thank you Lena.” We finished our lunches and got back to work. I sent a message to payroll and checked her schedule for the rest of the afternoon. Not much, maybe that would give her a chance to look into my idea. I waved in the last person of the day and started packing up my stuff. Payroll had emailed back, just waiting for the okay to get my check deposited early. I watched the clock, waiting for an appropriate time to tell the guy that Ms. Luthor was done for the day and a follow up meeting could be easily scheduled.

I poked my head into the office to kick him out. And once again had to jump in to save her. The psycho was holding her off the ground, hands around her neck, despite her trying to pry him off.

"Hey!" I threw the only thing I had, my brand new phone, at his head. For once my aim was decent and it bounced off of him. It was enough though. He dropped her and turned his attention to me. She scooted back, coughing, but alive. That was more than enough for me. Hopefully she would get a chance to call for security or something before this escalated too much. I really wanted to avoid getting stabbed again. He swung at me and I ducked easily, backing up to put some distance between him and Lena. It was easy enough to keep from getting hit, he was slow and clumsy. I managed to get in a few decent hits before he decided it was enough. He pulled out a knife very similar to the other one, but this one had a weird green tint to it. Something about it threw me off and I didn't avoid the next hit that came my way. I stumbled back, my ear ringing. Something was wrong. I was dizzy and a little disoriented. I hadn't been hit that hard, but something had thrown me off. I ducked under his next swing, but he swiped at me with the knife and got my arm. And holy hell did that hurt. It felt like something was crawling under my skin, burning as it went.

"What the hell? A regular knife wasn't good enough?" I glanced at the cut, wondering why it hurt so damn much. He didn't respond and just came at me again. I stumbled and he took advantage of it. He dropped the knife and lifted me up, exactly how he'd had Lena. I kicked at him, but it didn't seem to do anything.

He dropped me suddenly, turning around to look at Lena. It looked like she'd thrown something else at him. I landed all sorts of awkwardly, coughing, trying to get my breath back.

"Leave her alone. You came here for me right? Well come on." She said, waving at him. He turned away and started towards her again. Even if she had a plan, I wasn't comfortable going along with it. I stood quickly, only a little shaky. Without thinking, I jumped on his back, making myself as much of a nuisance as I could.

"This is not what I signed on for when I took this job sir. I'm going to have to ask you politely to leave." I growled at him, trying to get him to move back. It worked again. He slowed, trying to get me off of him. I was good at being annoying. He managed to pick up the knife again, taking another swipe at me. I felt sick all over again, and fell off, all sorts of ungraceful. He turned around, anger all over his face. Pretty sure he was going to stab me too, but something ran into him, knocking him against the wall.

"I wouldn't if I were you." I recognized Martian Manhunter and sighed in relief. Help had finally arrived. I looked over and Lena was talking to Supergirl. And Alex was coming through the door.

"Sydney? You okay?" I sat up slowly, wincing a little when I moved my arm.

"Yeah. I'm fine. We both know I've been through worse. This is nothing." She wasn't convinced and knelt down to look at it, and the bruises I'm sure I had on my neck. I was still dizzy, but she didn't need to know that. She helped me up and went over to check on Lena.

"No! I will not fail them!" the guy shouted. I watched him shove past J'onn and head for Lena again. I was closest and sort of forgot Supergirl was in the room, and moved to get in his way. He barely seemed to notice me and shoved me into the wall, hard.

"Unnecessary." I mumbled, sitting down again, head spinning. Supergirl had stopped him and had some agents lead him off.

I started to stand, slowly. The world was spinning around me some and my ears were ringing. I didn’t get very far. I shook my head to try and clear it, but that just made it worse.

”Sydney, hey, you still doing okay?” Alex came back over, kneeling down.

”Not so sure this time.” I mumbled.

”How hard did you hit your head?”

”Which time?” J’onn came over too. Alex helped me stand completely and I felt like I was going to be sick. She carefully felt the back of my head and I flinched away, regretting it instantly. I was surprised to see blood on her fingers.

”Yeah, you definitely have a concussion. J’onn can you take her back to the DEO? I’ll check her out when I get back.”

”Like flying? I really don’t think that’s a good idea.” Supergirl and Lena came over as well and Supergirl paused, looking over at J’onn.

”What’s that on your belt?” He glanced down and pulled out the guys knife. She paled and backed up, looking similar to how I felt.

”Kryptonite.”

”How’d they get that?” Another agent came over and carefully took the knife. I felt a little better. Lena was watching me carefully, but didn’t say anything.

”We’ll find out. Alright, J’onn, go ahead and fill Brainy in on the situation. Supergirl, stay with Lena. Sydney, you can ride back with me and I’ll make sure you’re fine.”

”Awesome.” We started walking and I kicked something on the ground. I glanced down, frowning. “Oh, um, whoops.” I picked up my phone, screen cracked on a corner and down the middle.

”Don’t worry about it Sydney.” Lena said.

”Okay.” I followed Alex out, trying not to stumble as we went. The elevator doors closed and I leaned back, head still spinning a little.

”Hanging in there?”

”Sure. My ears are ringing and I have a headache, but we both know I’ve left this office with worse.”

“Which is just ridiculous.” She said with a laugh. We passed a few agents in the lobby, and she told them to stick around, just in case.

”So, where are we going?”

”Back to where I work. I’ll be able to make sure your head is alright. Easier than a hospital.” I couldn’t argue with her there. If we could avoid a hospital, all the better. I knew I couldn’t sleep or anything, but I really just wanted to close my eyes.

”You can rest in a little bit. Just keep yourself awake until I get you checked out. Okay?” She held the door open for me and I climbed in the car.

”Okay. How far away is the DEO?”

”Maybe ten minutes. While we drive, want to tell me what happened?”

”Sure. But Lena probably can give you a better idea. He was after her.”

”Kara will get Lena’s story.”

”Alright. Um, he was her last meeting for the day. I don’t remember his name off the top of my head, but it should be on my computer. He passed every check we run, and works for some company that does good around the city, so of course we let him in. I let them talk for like half an hour, a normal amount of time to talk about whatever. I look inside and he’s trying to kill her.”

”So you rush in without calling for help?”

”I didn’t think I’d have time. Lena was looking a little blue. I threw my phone at his head and he came after me. We fought, and because Lena is much smarter than me, help was called and arrived just in time.” She was shaking her head in disbelief.

”How did Lena get lucky enough to hire you? I’m pretty sure not a single one of her past assistants would do what you’ve done.”

”Pretty sure I’m the lucky one Alex. I know Supergirl and her sister. I’d say getting thrown around is worth that.”

”You’re insane. What normal person just accepts this kind of thing?”

”It looks like you all sort of did.”

”I guess you’re right. Come on, we’re here.” I hadn’t been paying any attention to where we were going and was confused to see us in a normal parking garage.

”Clandestine government organization and we’re downtown?”

”Hiding in plain sight works every time. Just ask Kara. Come on.” She helped me out, checking the back of my head again. It didn’t hurt as bad when she touched it, but I still had a headache. We got in an elevator and went all the way to the top. I looked around the DEO as she led me to the med bay part of it. I saw J’onn talking to Brainy and almost waved, but thought it would look weird. People were already looking at me funny.

”Hey Alex, um, am I allowed to be here? This place is sort a secret and I don’t think I have the type of clearance needed to walk around.

”Being with the director is clearance enough.”

”Oh. Okay.” She made me sit down and ran a few tests to determine the severity of my concussion.

”So, it’s not as serious as I initially thought. You’re going to have a bump on the back of your head for a few days, and probably a headache, but something tells me you can handle those. As for the cut on your arm, I think that’ll take a little longer to heal completely. I cleaned it, but he got you pretty good.”

”Tell me about it. That hurt more than getting tossed around like a stuffed animal.”

”Really? You didn’t seem to notice the pain literally two days ago when another stranger waltzed into Lena’s office. Which reminds me, I’d like to double check that and make sure you’re healing properly, if you don’t mind.”

”Not at all.” I’d already forgotten about that stab wound. It barely hurt after yesterday.

”Huh. It was two days ago, right?”

”That’s what my calendar said.”

”That’s incredible. There’s almost no mark left. Does it even hurt?”

”Not really, no. I imagine if I poked it really hard or someone elbowed me, I’d notice. I suppose I got lucky stranger number two didn’t hit me there.”

”Uh huh. Lucky. Okay then, you should be good to go, but would you mind sticking around here for a few hours, just so I can be sure nothing is wrong?”

”I mean, I guess I can. Am I allowed to walk around?”

”I’ll find someone to show you around. Just hang tight here.”

”Okay. Thank you.”

”You’re welcome.” She smiled before walking out. I stayed put, waiting patiently. Maybe five minutes later, J’onn came in.

”Are you my tour guide?”

”I am today. Who better to show you around than the previous director? I know everything about this place."

"Really? How does a Martian wind up running a secret place like this?"

"It's an incredibly long story. I'll tell you as we walk, if you want."

"Yes please." I followed him out and we walked around for a while. We did a few laps, and he showed me all sorts of things. The training room, the holding cells, the science lab, while he told me about how he'd come to run the DEO.

"So you guys have another base in the desert? And kept Supergirl out there for a year?"

"It wasn't exactly planned that way. Most of our business just happened out there."

"I think you just liked making me fly all over the place. And you told Alex to not tell me about this place." Supergirl said, rounding a corner.

"It was entertaining. And necessary at the time."

"Because you were hiding kryptonite here."

"We weren't hiding it. And you can't still be upset about that. I got rid of it years ago."

"I know. Sometimes it's just fun to reminisce on the good old days, when my biggest concern was my boss hiding something from me. Things were simpler back then." he laughed.

"They really were. Want to take over for a little? I need to see if anyone has called the office."

"Sure. Go be a private investigator. Help people." I waved as thanks as he walked away.

"He's a private investigator?"

"Most days, yeah. He's really good at it."

"I believe it. He seems like he'd be really good at solving things. Is Lena alright?"

"Lena is fine. She headed home about fifteen minutes ago, said she had a few errands to run, with a couple agents to keep an eye on her. She asked me to come and check on you. Make sure you were fine, after getting attacked in her office again."

"Oh. I'm fine. At least Alex says I am and I believe her."

"She's really good at what she does. Everyone in this building has probably been treated by her. Myself included."

"Good to know I'm in good hands. If this trend continues, I'm going to need someone to check on my bumps and bruises."

"I really hope this doesn't become a regular thing. Lena feels awful about it."

"She shouldn't. None of this has been her fault. I'm talking to our head of security as soon as I can to figure out how these guys got past him with knives. And whoever did the background check. That guy should not have been able to get that far."

"Why don't you let us worry about that? It's really not your job." we were back in the main area where most everyone was working.

"Okay. But Lena is fine?"

"She's absolutely fine. You protected her, again." I shrugged.

"I did what anyone else would do. I like to think so at least."

"Well, either way, thank you again. She's part of the family and it seems like someone is always after her for something. And I can't be with her all the time. Between here and CatCo, we don't hang out often enough. And then things like this happen and I feel like I need to do something to help. But there's really not much I can do. She's got her security and everything, and I can't do much about it."

"I think she'll be okay. She knows you're trying right? And you guys sort of worked out whatever it was that had her upset right?"

"We did, yeah. A little bit at least. It's a start I guess."

"Are you kidding? It took her one day to do what we have all been trying to do for literally months." Alex came back over to talk.

"None of you fell off a building. I just got lucky I suppose."

"You're definition of luck is very strange. Most people would call these past few days a nightmare."

"I mean, they haven't been perfect, but I'm not dead. So I count that as a win." they both kind of looked like they wanted to say something to that, but didn't. We went back to the med bay and Alex checked over everything again.

"So, you look fine. Your arm is really the only thing I'm concerned about. But that might have been because of the knife. Kryptonite does weird things to people. But it looks okay for now. Call me if it doesn't get any better. But I think you are good to go home if you want."

"Awesome. Thank you again, really."

"Of course." They both watched me go, and I breathed a sigh of relief when the elevator shut. This was insane. Absolutely bonkers. And I was totally fine with it. If this was my new normal, I could get used to it. I'd get used to hanging around supers. My phone dinged, somehow still alive after being thrown at a skull.

_I wasn't sure how long you'd be at the DEO with Alex. I hope it's not long, but I wanted you to have something to go home to that wasn't awful. I spoke with your landlord and your rent has been taken care of._

"Unbelievable."


	4. Everyone's Got a Weakness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Most people have a bad day at work a couple times a month. It happens. But not everyone nearly dies twice in a matter of days at their desk job. But working for Lena Luthor isn't an easy thing. Especially when no one knows who's after her. But it's been a couple weeks, and Sydney hasn't had to fight anyone else, so all in all, it's gotten better. She's gotten more acquainted with Kara, Alex, and all the others. Somehow, she's found a place to belong.

"Excuse me Lena, but you've got an important call on line one." I hated interrupting her meeting, but Alex had said it was important.

"Thank you Sydney. I'm sorry, this will just take a moment."

"Of course Ms. Luthor. You're an important woman." the woman she was meeting with didn't seem bothered at all.

"Can I get you a drink or something"

"Maybe a water?"

"Of course. Ms. Luthor?"

"Water would be wonderful. Thank you Sydney." she said, holding the phone away for a moment. I nodded and got them some water. She was still on the phone when I came back, frowning a little bit. I went back to my desk, watching the clock. Only a couple more hours and we'd be off to game night. Last week had gone well. I hadn't fallen asleep with the toddler and somehow managed to beat the Danvers sisters at a game. Apparently that never happened. And I was ready to do it again, if i could. Nia seemed to think it was possible too. We'd been texting strategies for a couple days now. She seemed to think I needed to cheat to do it again. I had faith in my innate talent at board games though.

_Brainy says your odds are slim to none. And he's really good at that sort of thing._

_Well you can tell Brainy that I am all about defying the odds._

Lena had said she'd get me a new phone again after that incident, but it hadn't been necessary. Getting the screen replaced had been easy enough and something I was able to do myself. I hadn't been paying attention to the time and the woman came out a little bit later, their meeting done.

"She asked me to send you in next."

"Alright. Thank you. Before I go, did you need to schedule another meeting?"

"Not at this moment. I've got some things to discuss with my bosses before proceeding. But thank you for the water. I wish our assistants were as polite and organized as you seem to be."

"Well thank you very much." She nodded and walked off. I went into the office where Lena was writing typing something on her tablet.

"You wanted to see me?"

"Yes. That was the last meeting you had scheduled right?"

"It was. I just left the little spare time in case anyone decided to drop by without an appointment. As they seem wont to do."

"Let's not mention that. Things have been going so well. So, Alex needs someone to pick up an expansion of Catan. She has no idea what happened to hers, but we can't play if we don't have it."

"I would say we could just not play, but I feel like that is not an option."

"You would be correct. Would you mind taking a car and running to the game store? I know, it's ridiculous, but it's almost Kara's Earth birthday and she loves the game."

"Of course. It's really no trouble. No different than picking up coffee right?"

"Thank you so much. I figure you can go get it and be back here to pick me up right on time."

"Sounds perfect. I'll be back shortly." It was nice running a normal errand. I did pause at the security desk before leaving.

"Ms. Luthor is not to receive any visitors until I get back. Unless she okays it." We still didn't know how those two had gotten past, and I wasn't taking any chances.

"You got it. I'll watch the elevator like a hawk." I left, feeling a little better. I knew it wasn't technically my job to keep her safe, but I would have felt awful if something were to happen the one time I wasn't there. The driver was more than happy to get me to the nearest game store. He was one of the new drivers L-Corp had hired to help out with my idea. It seemed to be working fairly well, but it was still in the testing phase, seeing what needed tweaked before it was made fully public.

"Did Ms. Luthor need anything else?" he asked when I came out with a bag and a couple different expansions. I hadn't been sure which one we were playing this time around.

"I don't think so. Let me check." I went to pull out my phone, but it wasn't in my pocket, "Or not. I think I must have left my phone in her office. I guess this is it for today."

"Very well. Back to L-Corp it is then." Lena was waiting patiently in the lobby, talking to a few people milling around.

"Alrighty, car is waiting. But I forgot my phone in your office. I will be down in like two minutes."

"Okay." I checked my desk before heading into her office, just to be sure it wasn't there. Nope. Definitely in her office then. I made sure my computer was off and shouldered open the door . My phone was on the coffee table, right where I'd put it. I turned around and stifled a small scream. Some guy was standing in the office, looking out the window. Not sure how I hadn't noticed him sooner.

"Excuse me sir, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Ms. Luthor is out for the remainder of the day. If it's something urgent, I can fit you in first thing tomorrow morning."

"I'm afraid this can't wait. And who might you be?"

"I'm her assistant. She doesn't see anyone without them going through me. I'm really not sure how you got up here, but you need to leave." I really didn't like how this was going. It was way too similar to the other instances of people not leaving. I was close to just calling Alex or Kara to handle this before it got ridiculous, but I had no way of knowing if this would go bad as well.

"Will Ms. Luthor be back soon?"

"Dude, no. She's done for the day. Prior obligations. Now please, leave. I'm done asking nicely." he sighed, looking around.

"Very well. I had planned on using this against her Kryptonian associate, but you'll work just as well. Catch." he tossed a ball at me and I couldn't help catching it. It was just a reaction. For a second, I felt fine, wondering why this had been meant for Supergirl. Then I saw the faint green tinge, and felt something jabbing into my palm. And it burned.

"Sydney? Did you need a hand?" Lena came in, looking around for me.

"Ms. Luthor." the guy nodded at her before stepping outside and flying away.

"Huh. Not sure how I feel about other people being able to do that." I was going to go look outside, but was a little nauseous. And my hand hurt like hell. I sat down heavily on the floor, unsure if I'd make it to a chair. I tried to let go of the ball, but it refused to move and when I tried to forcibly pull it off, it felt like little barbs were digging in to keep it there.

"Sydney? Who was that?"

"I don't know. But something's wrong. Um, this won't come off. And it hurts. Like, it really hurts." she knelt down beside me, carefully trying to pull it off. No more luck than I had. And it was getting worse. The burning was traveling up my arm, and it also felt like something was under my skin, leaving a bunch of little cuts, just inside. She pulled out her phone and called help.

"Hey, Alex. Yes, we got the expansions, but we're going to have to postpone tonight. Someone else got into my office. Something's wrong with Sydney. No Kara, you can't come. There's more kryptonite. No, I don't know how much. But it's enough. Call J'onn. He can take her to the DEO way faster than I possibly could. Now." she hung up and focused back on me. I was trying not to panic or show how much it hurt, but it was hard.

"Lena, what the hell?"

"I don't know Sydney. Clearly someone is out to get me and you keep getting in the way. And this wasn't meant for you at all. It was for Kara, that much is obvious."

"Okay. So why does it hurt so much?” I couldn’t keep the pain out of my voice anymore.

”I don’t know. But we’ll get it fixed. You’ll be okay. Okay? Just hang in there. J’onn will be here soon.”

”Okay. Okay, yeah. They’ll know what to do. They can make it stop.” I bit my lip to keep from crying out as whatever it was spread further. My whole arm felt like it was burning, and it wasn’t stopping there. Alex has said something about kryptonite affecting people strangely, but Lena looked fine, though it wasn’t digging into her hand. There was a noise outside and J’onn and Kara came inside, Kara keeping a little distance.

”I told you not to come. He could come back with more of this, wherever they keep getting it from.”

”I’m here to make sure you get to the DEO safely. You’re not going anywhere alone until we get this figured out. J’onn go, quickly. Hang in there Sydney, Alex will get it off you.” I tried to complain when J’onn picked me up like a child, but if I opened my mouth, I was going to scream or cry. Probably both. I didn’t even get to enjoy the flying. The moving was making it worse. He landed on the balcony of the DEO, where Alex had a gurney waiting. Now I just felt even more pathetic. I feebly tried to tell them I could walk just fine, but no one was listening to me.

”What happened?”

”I don’t know for certain. Lena didn’t explain before we left.”

”Great. Sydney, hey, you’re going to be okay. Can you tell us what happened?”

”There was um, someone in Lena’s office. I don’t know who he was. Um, he said, uh.” It hurt too much to think clearly.

”J’onn, can you read her? Just this once?” He frowned, but didn’t say no. I had no idea what she was talking about though. He watched me for a minute while Alex examined the thing attached to me. I flinched, pulling my hand back instinctively when she pulled a little too much.

”Someone wanted your sister out of the way. This was meant for Supergirl."

"I think that is evident with the kryptonite. Can you get it off of her?" Non one had noticed Supergirl or Lena show up.

"And fast? Please?" I sat up, holding my arm out again.

"Yeah. I'll get it off. You just gotta hold still okay? Try not to move." That was easier said than done, but I was going to try my best. Even when she pulled too much.

"Kara, you really shouldn't be in here."

"Where else am I going to go? Lena is here. You're here. And the one person who keeps getting hurt because of us is here. I'm staying. No matter how much it hurts." Good to know I wasn't the only one. Alex was going slow, trying to figure out how to get the damn thing off. Every time it moved, I wanted to pull my arm back, but I didn't.

"Lena, I need you to hold this up, like this. And keep it there. I think I'm going to have to cut through the little needles. J'onn, I need you and Brainy to get back out there and see if you can start looking for this guy." I didn't care what they were doing, I just wanted it to stop hurting. I watched Lena and Alex switch places and Alex grabbed a small pair of needle nose pliers. Kara was standing on my other side, watching carefully, looking a little sick. It looked like it was working, at least, it was hurting less. At least on my hand. The rest still felt like it was burning. And it just kept getting worse.

"Alex, it's spreading. There's a lot of kryptonite in her system. I don't know what it could do to her. Especially if it reaches her heart."

"I'm working as fast as I can." I sort of felt when she cut another one, but I wasn't watching, "There. That's the last." I closed my hand some, only a little relieved. Lena tossed the ball onto a table, but it didn't stop hurting. The thing didn't have any green left in it. Pretty sure it was all inside of me.

"Let me see." Lena took my arm and looked closely at my hand, "It doesn't look like anything is there. I think the needles dissolved." I stopped listening then. Pretty sure I blacked out for a second, because next thing I knew, I was shouting at them.

"GET IT OUT OF ME!" I cried. 

"Lena, yellow sun lamps. Kara, hold her still, I think I have an idea." I closed my eyes at the sudden yellow lights in my face and felt someone holding my arms down.

"Isn't that what we used to extract the harun-el from James and Ben Lockwood?"

"Yes. It worked for black kryptonite, why not green? Unless you've got another idea." Neither of them said anything, and I was in no shape to stop her. I barely felt the needle in my arm. But whatever it was doing, it was working.

And then it was gone. Just like that, it didn't hurt anymore. I was just tired. Exhausted actually. I looked over at Alex and she was holding a little vial of something green. It wasn't even that big. And I felt even more ridiculous.

"This much could have killed you Kara." Alex moved and put it in a small box before coming back to me, "Alright, everything looks like it's settling back to normal. Heartrate and temperature dropping. Sydney, you feeling better?" I nodded, embarrassed by my outburst.

"Sorry I yelled at you." I muttered, just loud enough for them to hear me.

"Don't apologize. You had every right to lose it."

"Sure. Because that was worth it. A stupid green sea urchin."

"That would have killed me. First Lena, twice. Now me. You may need to up her pay Lena."

"I've been thinking about it. Among other things." I opened and closed my hand, trying not to be too upset.

"That's a discussion for a later time. Sydney, you need to rest, for a little bit at least. You two, beat it." Alex shooed Lena and Kara out. She dimmed the bright yellow lights some, but left them on.

"Alex?" she paused, watching me, "What just happened? Why was that so awful?" I gestured to the little box.

"I have an idea, but need to run a few tests to be sure. I can't give you a concrete answer right now. But that's also a discussion for later. You need to rest." She gently shoved me down and closed the door behind her when she left. I frowned and curled up on my side. I fell asleep pretty quickly, all things considered.

I was insanely confused and a little groggy when I woke up. It had been awhile since I'd slept so deeply without dreams. I rubbed my face, trying to not look like a child who just woke up from their nap. No one was in the room with me. I stood slowly, just to be sure that I was feeling no ill effects from the stupid kryptonite. Nope, felt fine. Out of sheer curiosity, I opened the little box and pulled out the vial of green. I immediately felt sick.

"Pretty sure you knew that was going to happen." I jumped, almost dropping the damn thing. I hastily put it back and turned around. Kara was leaning against the wall, no longer in her suit.

"I was just curious. It doesn't seem to bother anyone else. Alex said she had a theory. Is it something I want to hear?"

"I couldn't tell you. And she's not going to tell you anything that isn't true, so you're just going to have to wait it out. She also told me to try and convince you to stay the night here. Just so someone can keep an eye on you. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that won't be happening."

"Probably not. I've already been here too long. It's, um, what time is it?" My phone was dead and I'd left my watch on my dresser.

"A little after midnight.""

"Seriously? Ughh, this is going to throw things off so bad for me. And you guys I'm sure. I completely ruined game night."

"That's what you're concerned about? We have game night all the time. Missing a week to save your life is something we can all get behind. Time and again it would seem. We're all glad that you keep coming out on top though. We aren't too fond of saying goodbye to someone, especially someone new. We've been lucky the last year or so. Lex tried to ruin everything, but no one got seriously hurt. If he weren't gone, I would suspect him of all these attacks. It makes the most sense."

"So you guys haven't been able to figure anything out? I know the guy today got away, but you've got the other two in holding right?"

"We do, but they're not saying much. They're stubborn."

"Yeah. I got that when one stabbed me and another gave me a concussion. They're very driven."

"Very annoying as well. They won't say if there are going to be other attempts, where the kryptonite came from, who they work for. Nothing. Starting tomorrow, we're posting DEO agents at L-Corp full time. And they will stay there until this threat has been taken care of. I'm not losing anyone else."

"Yeah, Kelly mentioned that that's something we all seem to have in common." I started walking out, wanting to go home.

"It's a sad fact, but it' true. I lost Krypton and then Jeremiah shortly after arriving. Alex lost him too. J'onn lost his planet and family. Nia's mom passed last year and her sister said some pretty nasty things shortly after. James and Kelly's dad died when they were kids. Brainy left everyone he knew to come here to help us. And don't even get me started on Lena. It's amazing any of us are functioning adults."

"Trauma does that to you I suppose. But it didn't turn any of you into terrible people like it does to some."

"Or you it would seem. And you've got enough of it."

"I accepted it a long time ago. Nothing was going to change what happened and if I dwelled on it for too long, I was going to lose it. Sure, I miss them like crazy from time to time, like when I moved here. They would have been nervous as hell, but excited for me. At least, I think they would be."

"I'm sure they'd be glad that you're making your own way here. You came with almost nothing. Now look at you."

"Yup. Leaving a secret government organization in the dead of night after almost dying. Again. I'm sure they'd be thrilled." she laughed a little when she realized I was kidding.

"You're sense of humor is definitely something. You're sure you won't stay here or with one of us tonight?"

"I'm sure Kara. But thank you. Really. I promise, if anything gets to be too much, I'll take one of you guys up on your offer for a sleepover."

"I somehow believe you. Though I can't imagine how bad something would have to get for that day to come. Part of me doesn't want to find out."

"Me either." we walked outside and I realized it was raining, "Perfect. Rain is the best."

"You mean that don't you? You don't mind walking to the bus in this?"

"Not at all. It's really not even that bad. I played in this and much worse when I was younger. You'll be alright getting home? I'm sure a little sprinkle is no problem for Supergirl."

"It's not, but it is annoying. Everyone knows that you get more wet when you move faster."

"Just not faster than the raindrops."

"Exactly. But alright, if you insist on going home, go home. I'm sure I'll see you in a day or so."

"Probably." I waved before she went back inside. I put my hands in my pockets and started walking. I only had to stand in the rain for like five minutes, and it felt great. It was normal after the long day. I sat next to window to watch the city go by.

"Long night at the office?" I turned slowly, taking a second to recognize the voice. It was the woman from before. The teacher.

"You could say that. Sometimes the boss stays late and I stick around just in case. It's not the most entertaining, but the overtime is killer." I said with a grin.

"I wish I could say the same." she gestured to the seat beside me and I nodded.

"You mean being a teacher doesn't pay insane amounts of money? Ludicrous. Why should anyone get paid more when they're hard at work into the late hours of the night? The audacity."

"Most of my colleagues aren't usually up this late. I get more done when I stick around. Now my lessons for the next week are planned and I will have some spare time because of it."

"Well that's all anyone could ask for." the bus stopped again and another wet passenger climbed in.

"Not again." I looked closer and realized it was the same guy, "I haven't seen him in a couple nights and thought he'd gone to a different route." he glanced their way before sitting down towards the front.

"Have you tried telling the police about him? I mean, if he's creeping you out and making you feel unsafe, they'd have to intervene right?"

"You would hope so. But it's not always in the timely manner everyone would appreciate. There's usually something a little more important going on in a city this big."

"If it gets too ridiculous, there's this new thing L-Corp is trying. It's still in it's early stages, but it's working." I had a few cards in my wallet and handed her one. She glanced at it, considering it.

"Thank you. I'll keep it in my mind." We stopped and she got off, along with a couple other people. I tried to watch the guy without being weird about it. He didn't seem to show any particular interest in anyone getting on or off this time. Maybe he had just gotten on to get somewhere. I got off a few stops later, thanking the driver as I did. I walked slowly in the rain, enjoying it. It didn't rain as much here as I was used to and I missed it, even after two months. I changed into something dry and made some hot chocolate before going to bed.

And woke up way too late. It was almost noon and the sun was trying to poke through my curtains.

"Crap. Not again." Another half day was not something I could deal with. I hastily changed and unplugged my phone. I called Lena's cell on my way out the door.

"Sydney?" she seemed surprised.

"Yeah. I am so sorry I'm so insanely late."

"It's not a problem. I am capable of taking care of myself from time to time. I almost wanted to call you and force you to take a sick day, but I imagined that wouldn't work."

"That would be correct. I just left my place and should be there shortly."

"Alright. I appreciate the work ethic Sydney, I really do. But don't push yourself too much."

"Yes ma'am. See you shortly." she sighed, but didn't say no. I didn't want to miss any work. I hated being stuck at home with nothing to do. Lena was in her office when I finally showed up.

"Perfect timing actually. I need a hand with something. And since you insist on being here, you have volunteered for this."

"Glad I can help."

And things went back to normal. No one tried to attack that day, or the next. Sure, no one could get anything out of the two guys we had, but between Supergirl dropping by almost daily and the DEO agents all over the place (in disguise of course), someone would have to be insanely determined and smart as hell to get to Lena now. It was nice. Until the day came, a couple weeks later, when Alex called, saying she'd figured it out. The thing no one would tell me.


	5. Family is Everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sydney has had a rough go of things lately in National City. Multiple attacks on Lena Luthor's life have almost gotten her killed three times now. But things have been quiet for a few weeks now. Someone had figured out that getting to Lena Luthor wouldn't be easy. But something has been nagging at Sydney this whole time. Kryptonite. The last guy had wanted to hurt Supergirl, but it had been almost as effective on the normal human. Because that's all she was right? A normal human. And finally someone had an answer.

I really didn't want to go the DEO again. Sure, it was interesting and I'm sure it could be fun, but I'd only been there when something bad was happening. And I couldn't help thinking that this trip would be any different. Lena had made me take the day off so I could talk to Alex. I'd sort of been avoiding it. I wasn't sure I really wanted to hear what she was going to tell me.

"Sydney, you're going tomorrow. If you show up here, I will have security escort you out and keep you from coming back in. I'd send you today, but I'm freaking out over what to get Kara for her Earth birthday and need moral support." she was glaring at the board where she'd written and crossed out quite a few things, "What do you get for the girl who has everything? What would you want?"

"Um, I dont know."

"Come on, there has to be something. If you could have anything in the world, nothing in the way of it, what would Sydney Fox want?" There was something, but I really didn't want to tell her. It would make me feel more pathetic. But I think my face gave something away.

"There is something isn't there? Come on. I won't tell, I promise."

"You could figure out a way to let Kara talk to her mom. On Argo City. I know there's this dome or whatever around it, but you're smart and I'm sure between you, Alex, and Brainy you can figure something out." She stared at me for a second, before it dawned on her where that idea had come from.

"You would want to talk to your parents. Of course. I'm sorry Sydney, I shouldn't have pushed."

"No, it's fine. I'm fine. It's just that time of the year I guess. But seriously, find a way to contact her mother. You can get her probably anything in the world. Why not try for something further? Um, I'm going to go get you some lunch. You haven't eaten yet today and I promised Kara I'd make sure you didn't skip anymore meals." I picked up my phone and headed out before she could stop me. I hated talking about my parents, even to people I knew. They all had their own traumas and ghosts, didn't need to add mine to the pile. I went to one of her favorite places, ordered the usual, and waited.

”If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were following me.” I jumped and turned around. It was the teacher again.

”Pretty sure you’re the one following me. I was here first.”

”Jackson?” The guy called, holding a small bag.

”Then why is my food up already?”

”Because my boss likes her food a specific way and these guys know that.”

”I think you’re making this boss up. No company keeps an assistant around until the middle of the night and then just sends them out for lunch some other day. Seems too mundane.”

”Trust me, not making her up. She’s very real.”

”Luthor!” The guy didn’t say it very loud, he knew I was right there, but half the place still paused to look around.

”Relax everyone. You’d know if there was an actual Luthor in the building.” Ms. Jackson was staring at me as I grabbed the bag.

”You work for Lena Luthor?”

”Well it’s certainly not for Lex or Lillian. I’ve got standards.”

”Like, the Lena Luthor? At L-Corp and everything?”

”Most days, yeah. We’ll have field trips from time to time, but usually we’ll be in the office all day.”

”Wow. And you ride the bus? Doesn’t she have a fleet of cars that you could use?”

”I’ve never really asked. I like taking the bus. It’s fun looking at the city.” I shrugged. Sure, I’d been here for a few months now, but the size and diversity of the place still got to me from time to time.

”Okay. Well, I’ve gotta go. Lunch is only so long.”

”Alright. I’m sure I’ll see you on the bus again sometime.”

”Probably. And you can talk about what it’s like working for one of the greatest minds in the country.” She waved and walked out. I stood there for a second, trying to figure out what had just happened. I didn’t think for too long before heading out myself. Lena was in her office, writing out some complicated looking equations and muttering to herself. She didn’t even turn when I knocked.

”Lena, lunch.” Nothing. I sighed. This had happened a couple times before. I set the food down and went over to her. She didn’t even notice me. I waited for a second, letting her finish the line she was working on and grabbed the marker out of her hand. It was a bit brazen, but I was pretty sure she wouldn’t be too upset about it. She swore and turned to see me. It took a second for her to actually focus, but she didn’t look upset.

”Oh, it’s just you.”

"Yeah. Just me and the lunch you're going to eat." she glanced between the food and the boards, frowning.

"I almost have this part figured out I think."

"I'm sure you do. But imagine how much faster it'll go if you eat. You won't get distracted by your stomach. And if you skip a meal, Kara will drop kick me across the state line."

"You know she would never do anything like that."

"Well no, but I don't think she'd be pleased with either of us. I promised to make you eat, and you promised to eat. So move it Ms. Luthor. We are not oath breakers and we are not starting now." she sighed before walking away, "That's what I thought." I set the marker down and followed, grabbing my own lunch. I was sort of glad she'd talked me into eating with her almost daily. I was usually bored out of my mind eating alone.

"I am sorry I inadvertently brought up a painful subject before. You know that right?"

"Of course. You had no way of knowing. And I didn't even think of it right away. I was going to suggest you get her a puppy before thinking that may not be such a good idea. What with all the crime fighting and spontaneous trips to other Earths, which blew my mind by the way." I'd been told all sorts of stories from everyone about their exploits over the past few years. I'd known about some of the bigger things, but the multiverse and Legionnaires from the future had been surprises.

"I'm sure she would love a dog, but you're right. It's really not nice to a pet. Too much happens for it to be properly cared for. Though she would try her hardest I'm sure."

"If it were a small enough dog, she'd get one of those baby carrier things and take it into battle with her." She laughed.

"Oh I'm sure she would try. And she'd pout when Alex told her no."

"And the combined power of the puppy dog eyes and the actual puppy would be too much to resist."

"Oh absolutely. But you're idea, it's perfect, if I can just figure it out. It's no easy task, communicating across space to a place protected from that sort of thing."

"I'm sure you'll get it figured out. You're all really good at finding answers."

"Don't worry about tomorrow with Alex. I would have thought you wanted answers."

"I do. I think. But I'm sure these answers will just bring up more questions."

"It's possible. But as a scientist, I have to say that questions are like air. I need them. I need problems to solve. To learn more."

"Well duh. You like them. For most of us normal people, it's nice having a question answered easily. No loose ends or things nagging at you." she shook her, laughing a little.

"Sydney, I think it's been established that you are not quite a totally normal human."

"Shhh. Let me live in denial. Being different brings all sorts of complications I'm not prepared for."

"Well then it's a good thing you've got friends to help you figure things out. That's what we're for."

"Of course. How could I forget?" I finished up and left her to what was left of her meal. She'd eaten half of it, so I counted it as a win. I sat at my desk, thinking. Whatever Alex had found had to be big. And I wouldn't be able to avoid it forever. The rest of the afternoon passed quietly, the few people she met with coming an going easily.

"Lena, I'm going to head out if that's alright? I have a couple errands I need to run before everything closes."

"Of course, of course. Go ahead. I think I'm going to be here for a little while longer. I've just got a few things to go over before I go home as well. And don't forget, where are you going tomorrow morning?"

"The DEO."

"Well done. Might see you afterwards, might not. We'll see where the day will take me."

"Okay." I waved and grabbed my stuff before getting in the elevator. I stopped at the bank and grocery store before I went home. My teacher acquaintance wasn't around this time around, but I wasn't surprised. It was too normal of an hour. My landlord nodded at me as I passed, but didn't pester me. I'd paid right on time this month and he had no reason to jump me in the hallway.

I put everything away and turned the news on to play in the background while I made something to eat. Supergirl popped up a couple times, but nothing major. I made sure my alarm was set before calling it a night.

I had no idea what to expect at the DEO and stopped for some donuts on the way.

"If Lena ever gets tired of you, we're hiring you over here. You spoil us." I grinned a little, glad they'd appreciated it. And it was funny as hell to see Alex Danvers with powdered sugar on her nose.

"It was nothing. It makes sense to get a bunch of donuts. One, or even two, is just sad. Brainy accepted a small one and someone else passed out whatever was left. Alex led me to one of the meeting rooms off to the side and pulled the shades down. I was nervous all over again. But I'd been putting this off for too long. Whatever she'd learned, it wasn't going to go away if I ignored it.

"Why don't you sit down Sydney. And tell me about your parents." that was a strange direction for things to go, but I figured she had a reason.

"Um, sure. My dad was like my best friend. I was an only child and he spoiled the hell out of me. Took me to movies, museums, basically whatever I wanted to do, we'd do it. He was a professor at some school and access to all sorts of things that he let me look at. I wasn't as close to Mom, but she was my mom. My other best friend when Dad wasn't home. She tried to teach me how to play an instrument, any instrument, but I just couldn't do it. She laughed whenever I played the wrong note, which was frequently by the way. They were my everything. And then they were gone."

"A car accident right?"

"Yeah. We were going to an observatory that had just opened a few hours away. It had this whole exhibit on Superman and Krypton. I'd been begging to go since I'd heard about it. It was Superman! I don't really know what happened though. We were going along just fine. I think I was reading or had fallen asleep because one second, everything was normal and the next, it was loud, it smelled like fire and burnt rubber, and something was screaming. Someone later told me that it was me shouting for them. But I don't remember that part at all." I finished in a rush. I hated talking about that day. Especially because as more time passed, I forgot more and more.

"Okay. So I had your previous medical records sent over to look over, after the first attack, as well as the police report, just to have some sort of reference. That wasn't out of bounds or anything was it?"

"No, not at all. I was a stranger and you were trying to help I assume. What'd you figure out?"

"That you are insanely lucky. You were pulled from the wreckage with like two scratches. That was is. Nothing could explain that, because no matter where you were in that car, it should have been way worse. But you were fine."

"Aaand you have a hunch why?"

"I do. I want you to look at a these pictures for me and see if you can spot the difference." she opened a laptop and found what she was looking for, using a projector to have it show up on the wall. At first I thought she was kidding, because the things looked identical, "It takes a second to realize they're different." I took her word and stared for a minute. Then I saw the differences. They were small, but they were definitely there. The pictures weren't the same at all. I pointed out a couple of them and she nodded.

"It's like a second picture was put on top of that one, covering up like half of it."

"You have no idea how right you are. The one on the left is Kara's DNA. A sample we had on hand after Reign almost killed her. The one on the right, with the differences, is yours."

"Okay. So, why is my DNA so similar to Kara's? She's not even human. Kryptonian all the way. It's a coincidence right?"

"I don't think so. This is what my DNA looks like." she clicked something else and a third picture popped up. It was way different than the first one, but I was already picking out similarities with the other one.

"No. That can't be right. Because if I was even a little Kryptonian, one of my parents would have been too, and they wouldn't have been able to, to die in a car accident." I stood up, shaking my head.

"That's why I was so confused at first too. There's no kryptonite anywhere near where you grew up. Nothing that could have hurt a Kryptonian. But I asked J'onn to dig a little deeper. And he discovered that there's no record of you being born in a hospital. Just a birth certificate being filled out, by your father."

"So? Plenty of people don't go to hospitals. Sometimes they're too far away or just don't want to deal with them. They're not exactly fun." I could already tell where she was going, and I didn't want to hear it.

"True. But you didn't have a mother added until you were almost two years old. Meredith."

"Yeah. My mom. And my dad Derek. They laughed about that coincidence all the time. But they were my parents."

"They were, yes, nothing takes that away. But there was someone else at some point. Maybe not involved for very long, but Meredith was not your biological mother. Someone else, a Kryptonian, was." I was shaking my head. This had gone exactly where I had thought it would, but I still didn't want to hear it.

"Then where is she? And why didn't she stick around? I looked like her."

"You did. It worked out somehow for you that way. But no human has such adverse reactions to kryptonite. Or makes such rapid recoveries. And you're fast. You did track in high school, annihilating some records. Now, that alone isn't anything, I know. But when it's combined with everything else, it makes absolute sense."

"No, Alex. It doesn't. Because that would mean that my mom, the woman I looked up to, was not actually my mom. That I have nothing of her inside of me. And that my dad kept something from me. He told me everything. _Everything_. This whole thing means that my entire life is a lie." I stopped pacing, something else dawning on me, "That's why he agreed to go. The exhibit was seven hours away and we usually never did that kind of thing. But he knew. About Krypton. He told me that even though it was an alien planet, it wasn't all the different and could've been a wonderful home. Oh God. It's my fault Alex. We were on the road because of me. They're gone because of me."

"No, no Sydney. That's not true at all. You had nothing to do with the crash." she stood, closing the laptop, trying to put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. I shrugged her off, pieces falling into place in my head. Things they'd both said to me at some point.

"So! I wanted to see an alien exhibit and he couldn't tell me no. Not when it was part of who I am. And Mom had to have known too, right? But she never treated me different. She loved me. And because she got involved, she died too." I was spiraling and I knew it, but there was no stopping it now. Alex was saying something else, but I wasn't listening. The room was starting to spin a little and I did the only thing I could think of. I got the hell out and ran to find a place to hide. Childish, maybe, but it was something I'd always done. I somehow wound up in one of the training rooms, under the stairs, between stacks of mats. I scooted myself as far back as I could go and buried my face in my arms, trying to sob quietly. It was like losing them all over again. The two people I'd trusted more than anything in the world had kept this from me, for thirteen years. And I couldn't even be mad with them, because they were gone and were still all I had.

I heard the door open above me and a couple sets of footsteps move around, but I wasn't discovered. The door shut and I sighed, trying to compose myself. It didn't work as well as I wanted it to. I wiped my face with my sleeve in vain. The floodgate had been opened. I don't know exactly how long I sat there in the dark, trying to stop crying before I heard the door open again.

"Hey." I looked up, to see Kara smiling sadly at me, a travel pack of tissues in her hand.

"Hi." I mumbled, embarrassed. She managed to worm her way in beside me and got an arm around my shoulders.

"In terms of hiding places, this one is almost perfect. You know that right? I got lucky and happen to have x-ray vision."

"I would've come out eventually. After everyone went home." I took a tissue and wiped off the tears and blew my nose.

"No one was going home. Not until we found you and made sure you were okay. Which reminds me," she pulled a walkie talkie out of pocket, "Alex, I found her. We'll meet up with you guys in a few minutes. But you can call off the search."

"You really got her? Still in the building?"

"Yes Alex. We're still in the building. I'll tell you where some other time."

"Okay. You know where we are." she put it away, waiting patiently.

"I'm sorry." I blurted out after a few minutes of silence, feeling ridiculous, "I shouldn't have worried you guys. It was stupid and selfish and just plain childish. I just needed to get out of there. Did Alex tell you?"

"She did."

"And you think I overreacted right?"

"Not at all. You just had your family life tossed into a blender. It's a lot to take in."

"But not a single one of you would run off crying like a child."

"You don't know that. We've all had our breakdowns. On several occasions actually. The things we can do make people forget that we've got emotions and everything. Being overwhelmed is nothing to be ashamed of."

"Quit trying to make me feel better."

"Can't. It's part of my job to give pep talks and uplifting speeches. Come on, I think someone ordered lunch."

"Of course. The one thing guaranteed to make me move. Free food." she laughed and crawled out. I followed, stretching out.

"You and me both. Alex and Eliza often used pizza or tacos when I was freaking out. Earth food was still new to me, but it was amazing." I followed her out, trying not to let the few stares I got bother me. All these badass agents had to be judging me soo much. Everyone had gathered in the conference room, with a few pizzas sitting on the table.

"Sydney, I am so sorry. That was a lot to take in, and I just kept piling it on."

"It's alright Alex. Really. It was just a bit more to take in than I had been anticipating. You didn't do anything wrong." I took a slice of pizza and sat down, still feeling awkward.

"You're sure you're not upset with me?"

"Positive. I may not have wanted to hear all of that, but I needed to. It's important. Did you by chance fill everyone else in?"

"I did, the basics at least."

"So you're half Kryptonian. Welcome to being half alien. It's really not so bad." Nia said, eating her own food.

"It certainly seems to have its perks so far. Though the kryptonite thing really sucks. Like, that was awful."

"It really is one of the worst feelings on any world."

"While we're on the topic of that, I've got a question for you."

"Okay. I mean, I'll answer if I can."

"Should be simple enough. Did you get sick last year? Like, really sick for like a week or two?"

"Actually, yes. It came out of nowhere. I had a migraine for days, was always on the verge of throwing up, and got winded walking around my apartment. Why?"

"Just curious if the kryptonite the Graves siblings released into the atmosphere had any affect on you so far away. We know it could've killed Red Daughter had Lex not protected her, but wasn't sure if it would have hurt you."

"Well, it didn't really hurt, physically. Not like this stuff has. I was just miserable. And then one day it was gone. I just felt better. You guys were responsible for that right?"

"Lena and I solved the problem. It was tricky, but we managed it. Just in time I might add."

"You certainly did. And I will be eternally grateful for that. Is that what you want to hear Brainy?"

"Not necessarily, but it was nice. Thank you." Everyone laughed at him and I felt a little better.

"So what do we do now?" I asked after everyone had more or less finished eating and joking around.

"What do you mean?" James asked.

"She's wondering what we do with this information. There aren't any half Kryptonians on record, though Lois has to be close to having their son. But that's on Argo and the kid won't have any powers there." Kara replied.

"And you're curious if we're going to parade you around here like our class guinea pig?"

"Sort of. Sure, I might like to know the extent of what I can do, but not if it means signing up for high school gym again."

"I'm sure we can figure something out that doesn't resemble that torture. We're not monsters."

"And in the mean time, if you don't mind, I could do some more digging into your family. See if I can learn anything about your biological mother." J'onn sad.

"Sure. I mean, I don't know what you'll be able to find though. I don't have anything to give you. Though there could be something in storage. I've got all my dad's stuff in a couple boxes. Maybe there's something there." I added as an afterthought. I hadn't looked through most of those things in years.

"I'll ask if I think anything could be helpful."

"And I'll look for the key. Pretty sure it's in my room somewhere." I mumbled.

"You want to come back to the office with me Sydney?" Lena asked, starting to pack up.

"Um, I was actually wondering if it'd be alright if I headed home for the day? I don't want to be selfish or anything, but there's a lot going through my head right now."

"Oh of course you can go home. I can make it a day without my assistant. Take the rest of the day, take tomorrow if you have to. Really. I'll be fine."

"You sure?"

"Absolutely. I don't have much scheduled for the next couple days anyway. I'll be perfectly fine. Especially with a couple DEO agents hanging around the lobby and Supergirl checking in every couple hours."

"Well what else am I going to do? It's been quiet, but we don't know if someone is still out after you. I'm not leaving you to fend for yourself, though I know you are capable of doing so, until one of those jackasses we have in holding says something useful."

"And I appreciate it." after a few hugs, she headed out. James and Nia followed shortly after, needing to get back to CatCo.

"Sydney, are you sure you're okay with all this?"

"I'm getting there. I am sorry I ran away from you. That was immature."

"Please stop apologizing for acting like a normal human being. It happens. We've all been there."

"Uh huh. Sure. Need anything else from me before I head out?"

"We should be good. Someone will call if something else comes up."

"Great. Thanks." I left the building, thinking. After some internal debating, I took a detour before going home. I had the key for the storage unit on me all the time and knew exactly which boxes I would need to grab.

The two boxes weren't that big, but they seemed heavy. I sat on the floor in the living room, tapping my fingers on the tops of them, wondering if there was even anything useful in them. And decided I would get to them on a different day. I'd had enough for today.


	6. Gone Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes life throws things at you. Car troubles, bad weather. The usual. And then sometimes life throws a dodgeball right at the nose, full speed, from ten feet away. It hurts. Stings like hell. But you keep going on. You stop the bloody nose and get on with your life. That's at least what Sydney has been trying to do. It wasn't easy accepting that she was kept in the dark about who she was for her whole life. But hey, half Kryptonian. Could have been so much worse. And things are still slow and calm at L-Corp, making things a little smoother. It's only been a couple week since she found out what she is, but she's agreed to work with Alex and the DEO to try and figure out the extent of what she can do. It's been interesting to say the least.

"Ouch." I groaned from the ground. That one had hurt. Alex laughed and held out her hand to pull me up, "Can we go back to running laps? That wasn't as painful as this."

"Not right now. We need to figure out the basics of what you can do. We'll get back to the running once we're done with the,"

"Knocking me on the ground?" Because so far, that was all that had happened the past couple days. I had no idea I could be so sore. Between Alex and the other agents, I'd had my ass handed to me on multiple occasions. Made my takedowns of Lena's assailants seem way less impressive. I blamed the kryptonite around us. Alex hadn't turned it on very high, but it was enough to throw me off.

"If those guys keep coming at Lena with you there, the odds of them having kryptonite seem to be pretty high. Kara is wearing her Krypto-suit just in case something else comes up. We're not taking any chances, and if you can't fight effectively with this, you won't be able to protect Lena if we can't. We're relying on your help now."

"I know, I know. I'm like your back-up, back- up plan."

"And we need to be sure you are prepared for anything else that might come for her." I ducked when I saw her fist heading my way again.

That continued for about another hour or so and I managed to not get knocked completely down.

"Alright, I think we're good for the day. You know what you're doing, I will admit that." she rubbed her shoulder where I'd hit her pretty hard.

"Thanks. It's good to know the money I sunk into defending myself didn't go entirely to waste. I'm just not on the same level as you guys."

"It takes years of practice. And most of us are still perfecting it. You're not so bad, really." she turned off the kryptonite emitters and as soon as that green glow faded, I felt better. The bruises hurt less and I no longer felt like I'd been hit by a bus.

"That's so weird, seeing someone else visibly improve when the green goes away. Kara gets the same look on her face. Relieved beyond belief."

"I agree with her. That stuff is nasty and I get why she is testy when people have it." I glanced at my watch. It wasn't worth going in to work today and I sent a quick text to Lena, letting her know I'd see her tomorrow. I felt like such a slacker, this was like the fourth day I hadn't been to the office. But she understood and encouraged the training. I changed into some normal clothes and headed out. Despite getting tossed around and beaten up, I liked going to the DEO to train. And to work at my typically mundane job. National City finally felt like home, something I hadn't been able to find for ten years. And the people. There was potential there. They all seemed to be their own little chosen family and I couldn't help thinking maybe I could fit in, given some more time. I took a quick shower when I got home before heading back out for something to eat. It was a pizza kind of night it seemed. The place was packed, but the wait wasn't long. I only ordered a few slices, not wanting to take an entire pizza home with me.

"Looks like someone got off early. The sun is still up right?" I turned around in surprise at the familiar voice. It had been a while.

"It is Ms. Jackson. And today was a field trip day and I didn't have to stay the entire day."

"What a crazy coincidence. Same here. Took the class to a museum, learned about some dinosaurs and ancient people."

"Fitting for a history class. And so much better than an art museum. I've seen what passes for a masterpiece and am pretty sure I've got some childhood scribbles that are identical. At least dinosaurs are cool."

"And the kids would agree wholeheartedly with that. If I'm being completely honest, I chose the dinosaurs on purpose. But we're not talking about me now. It's been a couple weeks and you have to tell me what it's like working for Lena Luthor. It's Lena. Luthor."

"Believe me, I felt the same way for like a week. I would constantly peek inside the office to be sure that I wasn't imagining it. Now, it's not so strange. And I'm really just like any other assistant. I get coffee, make her schedule, that kind of thing. Really not that glamourous or anything."

"But it's still at L-Corp. One of the most well known companies in the world."

"Most days, yeah. I've got an ID badge and everything." I pulled it out to show her.

"Sydney Fox. So that's your name. Good to know. I'm Katherine, but everyone calls me Kat." she handed it back, smiling.

"I never told you my name during one of our random bus encounters?"

"It never actually came up, believe it or not. But now we know."

"Now we know." I didn't know what to say next and was saved from an awkward silence when her phone went off. She pulled it out, frowning.

"Damn. Well, I would love to continue this conversation, but my cat is annoying my neighbor. It was nice seeing you again Sydney. Until we bump into each other again." she waved before weaving her way between everybody. I watched her for a second, thinking. I wasn't used to people looking forward to seeing me. It was weird. But not all that unpleasant. But if felt like there was something else I was missing. I munched on the pizza crust I had left, thinking. I headed home after a little bit, ready for an early night. Getting punched around was one way to tire me out.

I woke up a little before my alarm to a text from Lena.

_Before you head in today, can you run to CatCo and pick up a few files for me? Kara knows which ones and should have them ready to go._

_Of course. Let me know if you need anything else._ I went a little slower than usual, a little sore from yesterday. Nothing I hadn't dealt with before, but still unpleasant. I looked out the window and sighed. It looked like it was going to rain so I dressed warm and grabbed my umbrella before heading out.

"Sydney, you're a little earlier than I was anticipating." Kara was sitting at her desk, but smiled when she saw me.

"I am?" I glanced at my watch. I hadn't even noticed I was ahead of schedule, "Whoops."

"It's not a problem. I haven't had a chance to grab what Lena needs, but if you wouldn't mind just hanging out here for a little bit, I'll go get them."

"No problem. I've always wanted to see how things work here. If L-Corp hadn't worked out, this place was next on my list of dream jobs in the city."

"Well, we're flattered. Just hang tight." she continued typing, only a little faster than the average person. I walked over to the windows, curious about the view here. It was a different part of the city than L-Corp and was a little different.

"What're you doing here? No training today?" Nia came up beside me, looking as well.

"Not today. I don't want to fall behind at the job that actually pays me. I'm sure Lena wouldn't notice, but it's going to drive me insane if I miss something."

"Makes sense. So how's the training going?"

"Eh. Okay I think. I'm a little faster than everyone else, can hit a bit harder. Until the kryptonite comes on, and then I'm worse than an asthmatic twelve year old."

"I'm sure that's not true." she said, laughing a little.

Believe me, it's true. So how's reporting going? You like working here right?"

"Oh absolutely. I love it so much. Working with Kara is one of the best things I could have asked for. I was so glad when James paired us up. And everyone else is so nice. And it's awesome knowing I'm writing things that matter to people."

"And she's really good at it too." Kara joined us, holding a couple folders.

"Aw thanks. That means a lot coming from you."

"Well it's true. You've written some amazing things since you started here. These are the files Lena wanted. Not sure why, but she asked and they were available."

"Awesome. Thank you very much. I'm sure she'll appreciate it. Whatever she needs them for." I took them gratefully.

"Some secret project I'm sure. She'll tell us when she's ready." she looked ready to say more, but her phone dinged and she glanced at it, frowning, "Nia, something is happening on the other side of town. It looks like it might be something for the both of us."

"Sure. I need something to write about for tomorrow. And I don't mind sharing the by-line."

"How kind of you. See you later Syd." I waved and watched the city for a little while longer after they left. I headed back out.

_I need to stop by the DEO for something really quick before heading into the office if that's alright. I got the files you asked for though._

_Thank you so much. And of course you can stop there. The files aren't necessary for me today, I just might need them for something._

_Alright. If I'm out long enough, I'll pick up some lunch._

_Sounds perfect._

It was a short bus ride to the DEO, and they were a little hectic. I figured whatever had pulled Kara and Nia away had their attention as well. But Alex was still there, overseeing everything.

"Hey Sydney. Wasn't expecting you to show up today. Your bruises already faded and you want some more?"

"Not at all. I was actually wondering if I could talk to you. About something kind of important, but totally unrelated to anything super going on."

"Sure, yeah. Brainy, call for me if something goes wrong and they need backup."

"Of course Director." we walked away, in a random direction. She waited patiently while I figured out what to say.

"So, um, is Kelly your first girlfriend? If you don't mind my asking."

"Not at all. She is not. Second official girlfriend, though not the second woman I've dated. Why do you ask?"

"You know, I'm not really sure. Um, did you always," I didn't know exactly how to phrase it without being super embarrassed. But she got it.

"No. I didn't always know that was how I felt. For most of my life, I just thought that it was something that I hadn't figured out yet. And then I met Maggie." she smiled sadly and I had a feeling this was something she hadn't thought about in a while and I wasn't going to push. "But that was years ago. And still one of the best things I have ever done. I was finally myself. Entirely."

"Good to know."

"You know that we are here for you if you need us right? We're a family and we take care of each other. We help one another figure things out. And not just crisis scenarios. Anything. Don't be afraid to take a leap of faith."

"I'll keep that in mind. Really. Um, I gotta go. Lena is expecting these files for something. And some lunch probably." I added, checking the time.

"Alright. I should probably make sure my sister is doing fine. Feel free to stop by here or my place anytime you need advice." she surprised me with a hug, but I accepted it. I gave her a minute before following. Brainy waved when he saw me walk past. I waved back and headed outside. I got something small for lunch and headed to the office. Lena wasn't in her office, but I figured she was just elsewhere finishing up a meeting. I left her food on her desk and went back out to mine to check her schedule for the rest of the day. Nothing much, but that could always change. I pulled out a book to pass the time.

I was almost halfway done with it when I glanced up, realizing how long it had been.

"Dammit." It had been a bit since I'd had time to get so lost in something. Usually someone interrupted. No one had this time. It had been hours. Lena normally said something when she came back, but I hadn't heard anything. I set the book down and opened the door to her office.

"Lena? You back yet?" Nothing. Her office was empty and her lunch untouched. "Crap." I went back out and double checked her schedule. She had one meeting earlier, but that should have ended before I even got back. I pulled out my phone and called her usual driver.

"Evening Sydney. What can I do for you?"

"Hi Frederick. Did Ms. Luthor call you for a ride at all today? For a meeting or lunch?"

"As a matter of fact, she did. I dropped her at a meeting. She said she had a different plan to get back. She is back right?"

"Uh, not yet. But I'm sure it's nothing. Flat tires, traffic. Don't worry about it."

"Alright. But if you find out she needs a ride, call me."

"Will do." I hung up on him and called Lena's cell. And heard it ringing in the office behind me. She'd left it in her desk. A bad habit that I'd been trying to fix. CatCo was next.

"CatCo Worldwide Media, how may I direct your call?"

"Hi, um, is Kara Danvers available? It's sort of urgent."

"I believe she is in a meeting at the moment. What is this in reference to?"

"Could you tell her that it's Sydney and I need to talk to her about Lena?"

"Of course. Please hold." I sighed, but waited patiently. I figured that no matter what Kara was doing, a problem with Lena would get her attention. And the hold music wasn't all that bad.

"Sydney? What's wrong with Lena?"

"Not sure if anything is wrong just yet. She didn't stop by over there at all after I left did she? A surprise visit for lunch or something?"

"She did not. Why?"

"Well, she'd not here. I got back a few hours ago and just realized she hadn't come back. Her driver said he took her to a meeting and that she had a plan to get back. But she's not here and she forgot her phone. And I really don't want to jump to worst case scenario stuff, but I figured you guys would have more luck looking for her."

"No, you were right to call. You just hang around there for a little while longer, just in case she shows up. I'm going to call Alex and have her start looking."

"Okay. I'll call if anything changes."

"Thank you." she hung up and I sighed. I hastily called the one meeting that had been on schedule and profoundly apologized, saying Ms. Luthor had fallen ill, possibly food poisoning and would have to reschedule. They understood, thank goodness. I sat at my desk again, anxious this time. Reading wasn't going to help. I killed time by doing a little social media stalking of my teacher friend. She didn't have much, a little more than the minimum. About the same as what I had honestly, though a few more friends than I had yet to make. She seemed normal, and that alone almost made me wish I hadn't met her. My life was definitely not normal. Not anymore. I hastily closed all of that before it got too creepy. I checked the time. It had been almost an hour and nothing. Wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. I grabbed my phone and went into her office. Maybe she'd left a note or something. It really didn't look like it. Pretty soon I was just pacing, waiting for someone to call me. After another hour, I decided to head back to the DEO. Hopefully someone there could fill me in on anything. Or volunteer to be hit a few times.

"Sydney. Hello again. Have you heard anything yet?" Brainy saw me first. It was a little chaotic.

"I haven't. You guys have nothing?"

"That is correct. You didn't by chance bring Lena's cell phone with you? It could have something of use."

"I did actually. I figured someone would know her password or some secret way to get into it." I handed it over.

"Kara knows it. I just have to find her. She's been in and out of the building every ten minutes it seems."

"Let me know if I can help in any way. I'm going to go hit something really hard."

"You are not the only one. James has been in there off and on. They may not be together anymore, but he still cares. Good luck."

"Yeah, you too." I really hoped they had a break soon. I'd never seen him, or anyone else, this stressed out.


	7. They're Not From Around Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena is missing. It's only been a day, but everyone is desperate to get her back. The multiple attempts on her life make this more urgent. Sydney has no idea how to help these geniuses and superheroes, but she'll be damned if she sits back and does nothing. She will be useful.

"No Frederick. Ms. Luthor does not need a ride anywhere today. She is still not feeling well and is staying home today. I'm just running to the office to take care of any meetings she had scheduled. Yes, yes I will call if anything changes. You will be the first to know." I shook my head and put my phone away. The poor guy was almost as concerned as the rest of us. I felt a little bad, but couldn't do anything about it. I waved to a couple people milling around and rode up to the office. It took way too long to get all the meetings for the day taken care of.

"I know Ms. Luthor said she'd be available today. I really wish I could make her feel better, but I can't. But her doctor advised her to stay home today. I understand it's important. I really do. We will call with a new day and time as soon as we can. Yup. I'm sure. Have a nice day." I hung up quickly before I could get yelled at more.

"Whiny jackass." I muttered. I double checked to make sure everything had been taken care of and headed out again. The DEO was still searching for any sign of Lena, but no one was having any luck. And it was getting to them. It had been a day and they were losing it. Alex was snapping at everyone who fumbled. Brainy was more of a computer than usual. Nia didn't have a joke every few minutes. And Kara. She was in and out of the building almost every hour. She was flying all across National City and the surrounding area, searching. And I felt useless. I didn't know how to help and didn't want to get in the way, but I also didn't want to sit at home doing nothing, wondering what was going on. So I was at the DEO, training for no reason. There were plenty of people willing to spar with me and endless laps to run. And I ran them, as fast as I could.

"You're fast." I moved my hair out of my face, breathing a little harder than usual. Kara was leaning against the wall, looking a little lost.

"Not nearly as fast as you are. But thank you. Any thing new?"

"No. Alex made me take a break. Says I'm not going to do anyone any good if I wear myself out."

"She's right. I've heard older sisters are usually pretty wise about that sort of thing. Plus, she's a mom. Double wise."

"I know. She's usually right about this sort of thing. But it's Lena. She's one of us. We're all she's got."

"And she knows that. Wherever she's at, she knows that we're all looking for her. She knows we'll find her. If she doesn't escape herself."

"I'm sure she's working on a plan as we speak. Will probably be in her place before dinner, wondering what took so long."

"I hope you're right." she sighed, still lost.

"Wanna hit something? I'm a little tougher than your garden variety DEO agent."

"I don't know if I should. I hate fighting angry."

"Sometimes it's helpful to get it all out. And I won't tell anyone that you frowned. Kryptonian's honor." I added. She smiled a little bit and pushed off the wall.

"Alright. You win. But you stop me if I hurt you."

"Will do. Now hit me." we sparred for about an hour. I was pretty sure she was holding back some, but it was still better than fighting anyone else. I actually felt like I was getting a workout.

"So the cape comes in handy." I asked from the ground where she'd put me.

"Once I learned how to use it. The first version of my suit didn't even have a cape. Winn thought I wouldn't need it and I flew straight into a billboard. Not my greatest moment." she pulled me up.

"I think I remember seeing that clip. I might have laughed a little bit."

"I think everyone did. Had Alex not been so concerned for my safety, she probably would have too."

"Glad it wasn't just me. Want one?" I pulled out a bottle of water and offered one to her.

"Sure. Thank you."

"No problem." I sat on the floor, actually tired for once. She sat beside me.

"Not just for the water either. For distracting me, even for a little bit. I know everyone is trying, but doing what I can, I feel like I have to do more. I have all these powers and should be able to do whatever to find her."

"And you will. I have absolute faith in that. If there's one thing a super can do, it's find a Luthor." she laughed a little.

"You are absolutely right. Kal never had trouble finding Lex."

"And we'll find Lena." we sat in silence for a little while, thinking. Alex found us like that.

"I thought you'd gone back out there already."

"Not yet. You were right. I needed to take a break. Let you guys work without me getting in the way."

"We'll find her. You know that right?"

"I know."

"And we have to do it as a team. Remember, strogner together."

"El mayarah. I know. Thanks for the help Sydney. Really." she stood and followed Alex out. I leaned back, glad I could be of use. I hadn't done much and it was driving me crazy. I just didn't have any way to help. I stood and rather than go back to the main room and be useless for everyone to see, I decided to wander around. I somehow made my way to the containment cells. They were mostly empty these days. Most of the trouble the DEO dealt with was able to be pawned off to the police and they would get the bad guys. Except for the two that had gone after Lena. I figured someone had already talked to them, but it was worth a shot. Not like I was doing anything else. The first guy didn't even look at me when I tapped on the glass.

"Good to know nothing has changed since the last time I saw you. You wouldn't happen to remember me do you? Your knife got acquainted with my abdomen for a second." Nothing. "Fine. Pout in your cell."

"Another visitor so soon? What makes us so popular all of a sudden?"

"We're looking for someone. And you guys are the main suspects."

"Well, as you can see, we did not take Lena Luthor. We are safely behind glass, unable to do much." he gestured around his cell.

"Sure. You two are. But there is at least one more of you out in the city somewhere trying to hurt her. And now she's missing. And one of you is going to tell us how to find her."

"Oh, are we? Really?"

"I'm sure someone will figure out something."

"The Martian has tried in vain to read us. We are protected from the likes of those tricks. But don't worry. Your friend will not be harmed. We need her."

"She's going to help us make this place our home." the first guy had moved and had been listening.

"Home? Why do you need Lena to help with that? Hire a designer. They're really good at that sort of thing, making a house feel like home."

"This isn't about a house! It's this whole place. Our people need her help."

"People? Wait a minute, wait a minute. Are you saying that you're not from here? Earth isn't your home?"

"Not yet. But it will be. With Lena Luthor's assistance." that was where we'd been messing up. Everyone had been looking for human abductors. I didn't stick around to talk more and ran back to find everyone else.

"Brainy! I got something!"

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Don't sound so surprised. The guys we've got in holding, the ones who went after Lena before. They're not human. I don't know where they're from, but it's not Earth." he stared at me for a second, processing.

"Of course. Of course they're not human. That is why J'onn could not read them. And why they have no records at all. They're kept themselves secret from everyone."

"And they're not the only ones. There has got to be more than the one who got away. Right?"

"Absolutely. I can use this. Thank you Sydney. Very much." he turned around and started doing something on his computer. And I was useless once again. I sat at an empty screen and with nothing else to do, opened the alien database, wondering if I could figure anything that Brainy might miss. Unlikely, but it was something to keep me occupied. It took all of fifteen minutes to narrow it down to a couple different aliens. I had no idea there were so many that appeared so human.

"Hey, you know you can head home whenever right? Brainy said you got something for us and he is working on that."

"Thanks Alex. But if I go home, I could miss something. I know I'm not much help, but if there's anything I can do, I won't be able to do it anywhere else."

"And we all appreciate the work ethic. But you have helped. Really. You could help Kelly watch Jeremiah for a little bit. He mentioned how it's been a couple days. No one else gets the voices right for his books he says."

"If you think that'd be best. I'll head out in a little bit I guess."

"Don't worry too much. We'll find her."

"I know." she walked over to Brainy, to see what he had. I glanced at the screen I'd been using. I wasn't going to figure anything else out. Not right now. I hesitated for a second before I emailed the information to myself. Just in case. I waved to Alex and texted Kelly. She was glad to have the help. I hung out with the two of them for a few hours, trying not to worry too much. I figured if something changed, someone would let me know. I pulled up the information I hadn't looked at yet when I got home, along with the news. So far, no one had any idea that Lena Luthor had been abducted. And I hoped we found her soon enough to keep it that way. Things would not get any easier if the media started poking around L-Corp. I was going through the last of the aliens when I noticed something. The species wasn't widespread like some of the others. There wasn't actually a reference of any large amount of them living on Earth. Just a random one every now and then. But all descriptions of them matched what I had seen. I read the small description of their planet that the DEO had, trying to figure out where they'd make a home in National City. It took some searching and multiple tabs, but I found a place on the outskirts that might serve for them. I checked the time. The sun had barely set. I thought about texting Alex or Kara to tell them my hunch, but I figured Brainy had to have already gotten to it. There was no way I was smarter than him. I'd give them a little more time. I pulled out a book and stretched out on the couch. Anything to pass the time. I was too anxious to do much else.

My body didn't seem to agree with me. I dozed off and started awake when my book fell on the floor. It was late. I checked my phone, but hadn't heard anything. And for some reason, that upset me. I had thought that even if nothing had changed, someone might have let me know. Clearly I had overestimated my importance. I sighed. That was insane. It was the middle of the night and I was still a little new. They had no reason to inform me of every little thing. But I was awake now. I tossed some clothes in a bag, grabbed a jacket, and headed outside. I needed something to do and hadn't been to the gym in awhile. It was almost entirely empty, not surprising given the hour. I changed and hopped on a treadmill. I wasn't going for anything fast. I just wanted to run without being timed for anything. Testing my Kryptonian side was useful, but I liked going at a normal pace too. I stopped shortly after a couple other night owls started. I moved to the back, wanting to hit something again. I was angry. I wanted Lena found too. I may have only known them all for a few months, but they were the only friends I'd made. And I was useless. There was nothing I could do to help. I had these abilities and they were useless. I hit the punching bag harder each time. I stopped when it split a little bit.

"Shit." I looked around. No one was there and I wasn't going to stick around to be blamed for it. I stopped in the bathroom, trying to calm down. I had no reason to be this upset. Wasn't really working. I locked myself in a stall, taking a couple deep breaths. Lena would be fine. Everyone was looking for her and she'd be home soon enough. I had nothing to worry about. I wasn't going to lose anyone else.

"Everything okay in there?" I sniffled a little, embarrassed. Now I was that cliche. The girl crying in the bathroom.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm good."

"Uh huh. Sure. Been there. Here." I glanced down and a tissue was being offered.

"Thanks." I took it and wiped my face. I opened the door and came out, "Are you sure you're not following me?" Kat was standing there, looking a little sheepish.

"I am not, believe it or not. We somehow just keep winding up in the same place."

"Well, so far, I'm grateful for that." I tossed the tissue and splashed some water on my face.

"Rough day at work?"

"You could say that. We've got this big problem we're trying to figure out, but it's not really coming together. And I have had next to nothing to contribute."

"I'm sure anything you've got is better than nothing."

"I don't know. The people Ms. Luthor works with, they're something else. I'm out of my league with them."

"Maybe they need that. Some fresh eyes to help see something they haven't. You've got some ideas right?"

"One. I haven't run it by them yet. Really not sure it'd be worth it to waste their time."

"Then go around them. Check out your idea yourself."

"I'm really not sure I could. I'll probably just get in the way."

"It's gotta be worth a shot right? If it's something so important, I'm sure anything would be appreciated."

"One would think right?" I couldn't help laughing, "Maybe I'll figure it out."

"I'm sure your idea is pretty good. Just gotta be brave enough to try it. I'm going to give you a minute to think it over. And hang on to these, you never know if they might come in handy." she tossed the package of tissues at me, smiling before leaving. I groaned a little. This was getting ridiculous. But she had a point. Calling Brainy or Alex now would take too long. It would make sense to check out my hunch before even calling them. I could do that. I put the tissues in my bag and headed outside. Kat waved from where she was running, a smile on her face. I headed for the nearest bus stop, trying to figure out if I was actually going to do this. I didn't get off on my stop, answering that. I'd saved the map on my phone and got off as close as I could. No turning back now. I made sure my phone was on silent before I went any farther. I'd seen too many movies where an ill-timed text got someone killed. There were a bunch of warehouses out here, a similar set up to where these aliens had come from. It didn't look like anyone had been using them recently. But I'd come all the way out here. Had to investigate at least a little bit.

I sort of wished I'd gotten some super senses from the alien mother I didn't know, would've made things way easier. But so far, we hadn't been able to notice anything special about my ears or eyes. I was good at sneaking around though. The first couple were just empty warehouses. Nothing weird or special about them. Just full of random crap. I was going to go home after the third one if it looked similar at all. The door was cracked open, which was strange. The others had been shut tight. I carefully pushed it open a little, poking my head in. And hastily backed up. I had recognized one of the guys inside right away. Wasn't about to forget the guy who'd tried to off me with kryptonite poisoning. I put some distance between myself and the building and, unsure of who would be the best option, sent my location and a quick message to everybody with a group text. Someone was bound to get it soon. I couldn't just leave now. Lena had to be in the area somewhere. And if not, someone would certainly know where to look. I turned around to find a better spot to think. And a couple of them were behind me.

"Hey. You guys wouldn't know where to find a decent pizza place around here would you?" They didn't say anything and I heard something behind me. And then something hit me in the head, hard, and down I went.


	8. Never Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sydney is pretty sure she found Lena. Not Brainy, not Alex, not the entire DEO, but her. The mostly normal new girl. Sure, it might not have gone according to plan entirely, and she got knocked out, but she found the aliens. And she's going to save the day.

I sat up with a start, head pounding.

"Ow." I felt the back of my head, flinching when I felt the bump.

"Thank God. I was worried you weren't going to wake up. Are you alright?" I turned and Lena was sitting on the ground, watching me. She looked unharmed, just tired.

"I'll be fine. I've been hit with worse. Are you? Everyone has been so worried and looking everywhere for you."

"I'm alright."

"You sure? Because it's been days."

"I swear. They didn't hurt me. They need me. Just not in the most luxurious accommodations." I stood slowly, looking around. We were in another warehouse, inside a big ass cage. There was one blanket, under my head, and that was it. I heard it raining outside and shivered a little. I glanced over at Lena. She was in a dress and heels, looked like she had been since she was taken. My bag was sitting next to me, untouched it seemed. I unzipped it and pulled out my jacket.

"Here. You're going to get sick." she hesitated before taking it.

"Thank you." she zipped it up.

"Want a snack?" I pulled a couple granola bars out, "Or some water?" my water bottle was mostly full.

"Got lucky and came somewhat prepared for being held against my will."

"I'm really not hungry. But thank you."

"Okay. Well, this is basically Mary Poppins's bag right now. Hell, I think I've got a book in here too, if you're bored."

"Thank you."

"Just doing my job. And don't worry, I texted like everyone where I was. It's only a matter of time before one of them looks at their phone. Even in the middle of the night."

"Great." she didn't seem too excited and I really looked at her. She looked exhausted. I wondered if she'd had any decent amount of sleep. I doubt I would have.

"Lena, lay down. Get some sleep. It'll be a bit before someone comes for us. I'll stay up and keep an eye out for anyone."

"I don't know. I've tried, but I really can't sleep when I've been abducted."

"It sucks that you've been taken enough to know that. But you're not alone now. You've got a friend here and no reason to worry. Don't forget, I've got a small range of super powers and no one knows that. If no one comes for us, I'll get you out of here myself." she smiled a little bit, "Here." I picked up the blanket and handed it to her.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. I'll be here. It'll be fine. I've made you sleep in your office before. This isn't really that different."

"Still can't believe that you postponed my meetings that day so I would sleep."

"You were the one who stayed overnight at the office working on something. Not even sure what it was, other than a lot of numbers that hurt my head. And there was no way you were going to conduct meetings when you were exhausted. It wouldn't have been professional. That simple. Now take a nap like a responsible adult." she laughed and got as comfortable as she could on a concrete floor with one blanket and no pillow. I walked around our little cell, looking around some more. There were windows all around the top, but all I could see was that it was still dark out. Not surprising at all. I’d left my watch at home (again) So wasn’t entirely sure exactly what time it was. Our alien captors has been smart enough to take my phone away.

”You know it’s hard to sleep when someone is walking around right?” Lena said from the ground.

”Sorry. I get antsy when I’m stuck in one space with nothing to do.”

”Welcome to the club. You just gotta get past it and try to sit still. Though, I’m not sure I’ll even be able to sleep like this. Not the most comfortable of places.”

”Need a story to distract you? It works with Jeremiah. Might work with you.” She laughed a little bit.

”I’m not really one for stories of fantasy and magic. I outgrew that phase years ago.”

”Well it doesn’t have to be magic related. What would help you sleep? I’m sure I could bore you with something from high school if I thought hard enough.”

”Tell me what made you decide to move to National City. And how it went. I remember moving here and being so nervous, mostly because of my name.”

”Well, that was not one of my problems. But alright. So, six months ago, I’m sitting at work, bored out of my mind. The usual stuff. I’ve had an alert set on my phone for anything big happening that involved Supergirl. Not the small stuff she gets involved in. Anyways, it went off, with an alert that Lex Luthor had killed her. And the footage was there. Other people around me seemed relieved when they started seeing it, actually believing the crap people had been saying about her. Idiots. So, I'm there, in the middle of nowhere, hundreds of miles away from one of the biggest things to happen, really ever. And I had no one to talk to about it. In a small city in the Midwest, whatever the president says has to be true, even if it sounds insane. Made me miss Marsden even more. It was sooo cool that she was an alien. But anyways, Supergirl was dead. Or so it seemed. It hit me a lot harder than it really should have. Superman got his ass kicked all the time and I never really worried about it. But that's not important here. I keep an eye on things and it's revealed that she wasn't dead and then he was gone. Lex Luthor was dead, sorry about that by the way, and Supergirl was the hero I'd always known she was. Like a week after that, I decided that I wasn't going to miss anything like that again. I wasn't quite ready to just up and move then, had to save almost everything I had for a month. But I did it." I glanced over when I heard a small snore. Lena had passed out, somehow managing to get comfortable, "Awesome." I stood up quietly and walked around some more, making note of where the two doors were. If this one was set up like the others I'd looked in, one would take us further into the storage yard or whatever you wanted to call it and the other would take us to the road that would get us out. I hoped I was right. I sat down again, watching Lena for a second, making sure she was still asleep. I grabbed my book and started reading. Anything to pass the time and keep me awake.

Lena woke up after a few hours. It wasn't much, but she looked a little better. And about an hour later, one of the doors burst open.

"Good morning! Enjoy the company Ms. Luthor? She did wake up right?"

"Yup! Wide awake in here. Thanks for knocking me out. Really appreciate it." I waved to the guy coming in.

"You were trespassing. We didn't know who you were. Now we do. Lena Luthor's assistant. I'd ask for a raise after this."

"This is just my job. I seem to go above and beyond what everyone expects, but I get my job done. Why'd you kidnap my boss? Made my life a little stressful."

"We needed her."

"Real specific. What for dumbass?"

"She's going to help us make this planet more like our home. She's been a little, let's say, difficult. But now, we've got some motivation." another, bigger guy, followed the first, shoving him out of the way.

"Why do you need her to do anything? You guys seem fine. Earth suits you."

"It's habitable. Barely. We need her to make the atmosphere more accommodating for us. And she has refused."

"Wonder why that is? It's almost like the atmosphere shouldn't be messed with. It's the only one we've got and it's already been messed with enough. And I imagine messing with it to make your lives easier would make it a little less convenient for humans."

"Exactly. I have told them that over and over again."

"But whacko aliens aren't the best listeners. I get it. How do they want to fix things anyways? It's not an easy thing to do."

"They made their own version of Lex's dispersal machine. The one that I used to get the Daxamites off the planet."

"Don't forget, it was also used to lace the world with kryptonite. Very effective."

"Uh huh. So, why don't you just go home?"

"You think we'd be here if that were an option? We would love to go home. But we can't."

"They, and most of their companions, were exiled for one reason or another." Lena said from behind me.

"Enough! Get them some breakfast Arcae and come find me when they're done eating. She will do what we ask, one way or another." the big guy glared at us before walking back out. The first guy shook his head, but didn't say anything about it.

"Move away from the door please." we both backed up some. At least this guy seemed civil, "Here. Sorry it's not much, but I'm not exactly in charge of things around here."

"You don't want this do you? And thank you." I took an apple and bottle of water. Mine was almost gone. Lena took a muffin and sat back down.

"I'm fine with things the way they are. But no one listens to me. I just wanted to make ourselves a new home here. Make a community here."

"It's a shame no one listens to the sane one. In any scenario."

"I'll give you guys ten minutes before I tell Virlis he can come back and continue being an ass."

"Thank you Arcae." he nodded and little and locked the gate again. He left and I stared at the mesh for a minute, "You think this stuff is made from a normal metal? Not nth?"

"It seems to be an earth element. Why?"

"We've got ten minutes. If I can focus enough, I might be able to open a hole. I don't know why I didn't think of it earlier. We can get out of here before they come back. If you're up for it."

"Oh absolutely. I'm a little ashamed I didn't think of that either."

"We're both a little out of it. I probably have another concussion and you're tired. Eat something and I'll fight with some metal."

"You're as bad as Kara." but she didn't complain about it and munched on her muffin. I went over to one of the corners beside the wall. Too bad I didn't travel with bolt cutters, though I'm sure they would've been confiscated. I did my best to get a decent grip on it and focused. I could be stronger than the average human, but it was more difficult than running. I had to be trying, but not too hard. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. And when it tore open like tissue paper, I couldn't help shouting in surprise.

"It worked!" I turned around, grinning like a kid. She smiled too, looking relieved. I picked up my bag and pulled the hole open some more, "You first."

"Not a chance. You're here because of me and you're going to get out."

"Lena, we are not fighting about this. Not now. We don't have time. I will be right behind you and we can skip out of here Wizard of Oz style if you want. But you're gong first. Please?" I added, thinking that it couldn't hurt. She sighed in defeat and ducked by me, trying to avoid getting scratched by the broken links. I followed right behind her, a little less careful than I should have been. I winced a little when I felt a couple scrape my arm, but kept going. We were almost at the other door when it slammed open. I pulled Lena back before she could get hit by it. She stumbled a little in the heels, but didn't go down.

"We've got cameras in here. You had to know that right?"

"You would think we were smart enough to think about that, huh Virlis. But we're tired, and I haven't had any caffeine in about a day now. It gets to me."

"You're not going anywhere. We need Ms. Luthor."

"You see, no, you really don't. You need to accept that you're here now and can't screw over an entire planet for your own purpose. And to get out of our way. Because we're leaving. Ms. Luthor here needs a fresh change of clothes and she has a job to get to. I can't afford to miss anymore work because of you losers. I'll make you move if I have to." he laughed, shutting the door behind him. I put myself between him and Lena. I was sure she was capable of taking care of herself, but I'd gotten used to helping her.

"You? You're practically a child."

"Sure. Because a child could take out two of the others you sent to kidnap my boss." I snapped before dropping my bag and charging at him. He hadn't been expecting that and it was easy enough to knock him on the ground, "Lena go!" she didn't move though.

"We leave this building together Sydney. I'm not abandoning you." I wasn't going to turn around to see what she was doing. I had my hands full trying to not get my ass kicked by the alien that was way bigger than me. He shoved me off and stood, a little more wary of me. The door opened again behind him and Arcae came in. He stopped, surprised to see me fighting his acquaintance.

"Arcae, could you be a gem and get Ms. Luthor out of here? And find my phone and call one of our friends. As many times as it takes before someone picks up. It's been hours and someone should be here soon."

"Why would he help you? He wants this to happen too." I ducked his next punch and tried to kick his knee. I missed somehow.

"You'd be surprised dude. Not everyone is on board with your crazy plan." I tried not to flinch too much when he got my shoulder, hard. We'd moved away from the door and I saw Arcae make Lena move. She had to get out. She'd be able to get someone here faster than I could. And I'd be fine. They got to the door and I turned all my focus on Virlis. I was relieved Alex had been making me practice. It was paying off. And I was in the zone. It was easier than ever to make myself faster and stronger and her seemed surprised by that. Though it quickly changed to anger, I could tell. He started hitting harder and a little more erratically. It was working in my favor. I was able to get in more hits, and they were hurting him. I was feeling pretty damn good about knocking him down long enough to get out when a familiar feeling of fatigue hit my like a train. The vents around us had kicked on I saw something green coming out of them.

"Oh come on! How much of this stuff do you guys have? It's not like you can just go buy it at Walmart." I sneezed and didn't duck his next punch in time. My ear stung and wouldn't stop ringing.

"We're resourceful. Not sure why it seems to hurt you, but we were told it did. So we prepared for Supergirl to come to the rescue, or you." I was losing ground, fast. He was edging me back towards the cage.

"You're jackasses who can't accept your lot in life. Grow up and accept that you're stuck here. Earth isn't that bad. Give it a chance." I knew I was going to lose if I kept fighting in here. The kryptonite was getting to me. It felt like I was covered in bugs and the cuts I had were burning. I was going to have to get out. And fast. I took my chance when I hit him hard enough that he stumbled back. I bolted around him, going as fast as I could. I felt him grab fro me and was glad I’d taken off my bag. Until I tripped over it. I instinctively held my arms out to stop from landing on my face and felt it right away when my wrist bent the wrong way.

”Son of a bitch.” I stood quickly, holding my hand close. Virlis hadn't wasted a second and was coming at me again. I braved myself as best as I could, not naive enough to think I could defend myself now. My good hand out of commission and kryptonite in the air. But the hit didn’t come. He stopped a little bit away from me, watching the windows for a second. I followed suit and saw something blue and red streak by. I had never been more relieved. The cavalry had arrived. Virlis was shaking his head.

”She can’t get in here. We made sure of that.”

”She’s got friends bud. And they don’t have our allergy.” I glanced behind me when I heard the door open. Alex and a handful of DEO agents stormed in, armed and ready to kick ass. Virlis didn’t know when to give up and grabbed me, pulling a knife out of his jacket.

”Why the hell didn’t you pull that earlier?” I yelped when he grabbed my arm and held the knife to my throat. I couldn’t see it, but the sick feeling intensified by a bit. Awesome.

”Drop the weapon and let her go! We’ve got the whole area surrounded.” Alex shouted, slowly getting closer.

”Stop! Just stop right there! Any closer and your friend gets a taste of pure kryptonite. Not this sad, almost generic stuff.”

”Doesn’t feel very generic.” I mumbled, trying to squirm away from the knife without hurting myself. I couldn’t get far.

”You hurt her, you’re just digging yourself a bigger hole. Let her go, and maybe we can talk. You have companions out there who think we can find a middle ground.”

”I let her go, and one of your agents shoots me. I know what your group does to aliens.”

”That was the old DEO. We want to help you all. Make your lives on Earth as bearable as we can, without you offing the human race.” She put her gun away and took a step closer. He retreated and I felt the knife dig in more, just barely breaking the skin. But it hurt. Alex stopped and held her hands up.

”My brothers and sisters would never go along with this. You can’t stop all of us. We will have Lena Luthor.”

”A good portion of your group have already surrendered to us. The ones who didn’t have been apprehended. Give it up."

"Like hell I will. You guys are going to let me walk out of here. Your friend is going to help me out here. She's quite something."

"Not a chance buddy." I stepped on his foot as hard as I could. He shouted in surprise. I shoved his arm away and got the hell away from him. Alex and her agents didn't hesitate and they were on him. He struggled, but couldn't take on five people. Alex made sure he was restrained and came over to me, picking up my bag before I could.

"Thanks." I took it with the hand that wasn't hurting and started for the door.

"Sorry it took us so long to get here. My phone was on silent. And no one else saw the text until half an hour ago. We got here as fast as we could."

"I knew you guys would. Is Lena okay?" I looked around, soaking up the sun. It looked like Alex had brought an army to get us back.

"Lena is fine. Because of you. Again."

"And you got hurt because of me. Again." Kara and Lena walked over, both looking relieved.

"Some scrapes and bruises and a sprained wrist. They were an almost normal thing in high school. I even have a brace in my room. I found it when I was looking for a ruler."

"Please stop making light of this. I know you're just trying to make me feel better, but it's not helping. Not this time." Lena gave me a hug before backing up.

"We really do appreciate the effort though Sydney. But this is getting out of hand. You didn't sign up for this." Kara motioned around us.

"I know. But I'm happy to help you guys. Really. It's like the best part of living in the city." I followed Alex to one of the SUV's. She pulled a first aid kit out of the back and told me to sit down. She wrapped up my wrist first, making sure it was just a sprain and not broken. The cuts and scrapes were cleaned and covered easily.

"That all of it?" she asked, covering the last one.

"Yeah. Can't really do much for the bruises, and if I steer clear of kryptonite, they won't even be there in two days. Thank you."

"And thank you. Not kidding. You may not have signed on for this, but you're pretty damn good at it. And we all appreciate it. But Lena was right. This is getting out of hand."

"It's not like you guys can change it. And with this getting wrapped up, I'm sure it'll be fine." she didn't say anything, but I could tell there was something she wasn't telling me.

"Alex? You guys aren't trying to like, boot me from the island are you? Because you guys are all great. Game night is the highlight of my week. Jeremiah is the cutest kid I've had ever had the pleasure to watch. Nia has a similar sense of humor you older people just don't seem to understand. I couldn't have asked for better friends. Ever." I was rambling.

"No, no. Not anything that drastic. We love having you around too. But it's come up recently that somehow, we've made your life more dangerous than it needs to be."

"It's really not your fault. At all. I'll manage."

"You shouldn't have to." Kara had joined us, frowning a little bit, "Do we have any idea where they got all the kryptonite from? Because none of them are being very forthcoming about it."

"We'll find out. I promise Kara. Sydney, sit tight here okay? We will head out soon. I just need to be sure that we got everyone taken care of and all the kryptonite accounted for."

"That's fine. Go. Do your job. I'm fine." she hesitated before going. Kara followed after a second. I sat quietly, watching everyone work around me. This may not be what I had in mind when I’d moved to National City, but I didn’t hate it. A few of the aliens that had surrendered willingly were milling around, talking to agents and each other. I saw Brainy and Dreamer walking around as well, mostly in and out of the warehouse. It probably still wasn’t safe for Supergirl just yet. Lena came over after a little bit. She had a coffee in each hand and someone had draped a blanket around her shoulders.

”Thank you.” I took the cup she offered me, in desperate need of it.

”You’re welcome. Alex said you’re okay. This time.”

”I have been more or less okay after every encounter with these guys. I can handle a minor abduction and scuffle. What about you? Are you okay? I know you’ve been kidnapped before, but I imagine it’s not something you just take in stride.”

”I’ll be alright soon enough. Once I’m home and in a clean change of clothes, everything will work itself out. I’m still just trying to figure out how to justify keeping you on after all this.”

”Please don’t fire me. There’s no way I’d be able to find a job that even compares to this one.”

”It wouldn’t be so hard if you could just stay at your desk like a normal assistant.”

”I think we established a while ago that I’m not normal."

"You're not wrong. But I feel like there's something that can be done to keep you from constantly getting hurt on my behalf."

"I think short of tying me to my desk and making me forget that Supergirl is your best friend, we're just going to have to make do."

"I know that you're right, but I hate this. You keep saying how this is all part of your job, but it's really not. Not to this extent."

"Lena, seriously, relax. I mean, part of my job description is making sure your work life goes as smoothly as possible. Occasionally that means taking down a few aliens. Apparently." I motioned to the few still walking around. It looked like most had been free to do whatever, go about their lives, "Speaking of the aliens, did you see Arcae anywhere? I feel like I should thank him again. He was surprisingly helpful.

"He went to find his brother. I'm not entirely sure where he is now."

"Alright. I'll find him on my own then." I finished my coffee and stood up, shutting the door before walking away. I only got a few steps when a small bunch of them passed by us. I stopped to let them by.

"This is for Virlis." I didn't have a chance to react before one of them detached themselves from the group, pulled a knife clearly crawling with kryptonite, and stabbed me in the shoulder. He pressed a button or something on it and I watched the green fade from it and felt it crash into my system. It didn't even take a minute.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me." A few agents grabbed him and hauled him away. He didn't even struggle, "Lena, um, can you find Alex? I sort of need her assistance again." I could already feel the stuff crawling through me. She'd paled but immediately went to find help. Kara got to us first, pretty sure she'd heard it. Alex wasn't far behind.

"How does this keep happening? Sydney, hold still okay. This is going to hurt. Kara, please don't stand too close. Lena, get ready to press this on her arm."

"Yeah, um, could we move this along? Because I'm pretty sure this stuff is going to knock me out real soon." I said through gritted teeth. Alex didn't hesitate and pulled it out. Lena quickly covered it before I could start bleeding all over the place.

"Alright, we need to get the bleeding to stop and get you back to the DEO." I reached out, a little unsteady, stopping her for a second.

"I don't want to wake up alone okay? Please don't do anything drastic."

"We won't let that happen. You're going to be okay."

"Yeah Sydney. Just remember, el mayarah."

"Sure. Stronger together. You'll have to teach me Kryptonian sometime."

"I would love to. Maybe when you're better." they got me back in the car and the kryptonite and exhaustion from the night before got to me and I blacked out. But I knew I'd be fine.

I came to in a hospital room, having the strangest feeling of deja vu. I looked around, a little disoriented, and saw that I wasn't alone.

"Holy crap. You're Kara Danvers."


	9. Something's Different

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a slow few months in National City for Sydney. Working for Lena Luthor, while still insanely exciting, hasn't been all that hard. Getting meals, making schedules. Easy. What hasn't been so easy is making friends in such a big city. It's been months and she's got next to nothing to show for it. Maybe she needs to get out more. There is that teacher she keeps running into. Gotta start somewhere. But she has to remember why she's waking up in a hospital first.

Kara Danvers was sitting in my hospital room. _The_ Kara Danvers. Reporter extraordinaire. Pulitzer Prize winner. One of my idols. Sure, I'd seen her in passing at L-Corp when she came to talk to Ms. Luthor, but this was something entirely different.

"I am. It's nice to meet you Ms. Fox. Even if the circumstances aren't the best."

"Um, yeah. Sure. Do you happen to know why I'm in the hospital? I'm kind of drawing a blank."

"What's the last thing you remember?" I thought about it for a second. My head hurt a little and it was harder to recall than it should have been.

"Um, I went to the gym late. It's easier to get the machines I want when no one is there. Uhh, I don't think I stayed very long, wasn't really feeling the burn. I must have headed back home." she nodded, writing something down.

"That makes sense. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but it seems you were attacked on your way home. You don't remember anything?" I shook my head, trying to remember. I could sort of picture it, seeing some random guy come at me with a knife, but that was about it.

"I'm sure it's just because you got a good knock on the head. I'm glad to see you're awake." a doctor and another face I recognized came in.

"Nia Nal? What are two of the best reporters in the city doing in my hospital room?"

"We'll explain after the doctor gets through his thing. Go ahead. Nia and I need to work something out."

"Of course Miss Danvers." She stood and closed the door behind her.

"Well Miss Fox, your injuries were not nearly as bad as I had thought. A few minor scrapes and bruises, a small bump on the back of your head. Your shoulder was really my only concern, but," she peeled back the bandage on my arm, "It seems to be doing just fine. We were lucky to find a blood donor though. You have a rare blood type."

"I do? Huh. Didn't know that. Should probably write that down."

"I made a note of it here, so don't worry. And I think that you could head home in a little bit, if you're up for it."

"That would be great. No offense, but I really don't like hospitals." she laughed a little.

"I understand completely. They're not for everyone. I'll go make sure all your paperwork is in order and get you on your way."

"Awesome. Thank you. I guess you could send in the reporters. That want to talk to me. Apparently." she grinned and headed out, letting Kara and Nia back in. Nia was carrying what looked like a gift basket.

"Wow. Kara Danvers and Nia Nal. Why are you guys interested in me?"

"We're doing a small piece on the rising crime in some parts of the city. There've been more kidnappings, assaults, and break ins in the last couple months. We just wanted to hear what your thoughts on it were."

"Oh, um, I don't know. I haven't really looked into it much. I thought crime was way down with Supergirl and Dreamer running around."

"The big stuff has declined, but it seems a lot of petty criminals think they can get away with more when the supers are out fighting Lex Luthor and aliens."

"And they're a lot harder to track down than someone with alien tech or powers."

"That makes sense. But I'm sure the police are trying their hardest. I'm really nor sure I'm worth the interview. But I really appreciate the thought."

"Any detail is worth it. Really."

"If you say so. You're the reporters. I'm sorry I don't really have much to offer."

"No, no. You've given plenty. We really appreciate it. Thank you so much." Kara stood, smiling a little. I couldn't help noticing it looked a little sad. Nia stood too, looking a little awkward.

"We, um saw this in the hospital gift shop. I know that hospitals are awful and boring and I wasn't sure what sort of things you like so we just sort of got a bunch of random things for you." she grabbed the basket and set it carefully on the bed.

"Oh, um, thank you. That really wasn't necessary for you to do. And it looks like you guessed well. I love word puzzles and sour candies." I added, looking through it.

"Great. That's great. Hope you feel better soon." she waved a little before walking out.

"Well, it was nice to meet you Sydney. Hopefully things get better around the city and you won't wind up here again. We really do appreciate the input."

”It was nice to officially meet you too.” She smiled, but it wasn’t the same smile I’d seen her wear in interviews and stuff. Something was wrong, but it wasn’t my business. She gathered her things and headed out.

”Holy shit.” I muttered, almost getting up to watch them leave. My shoulder stopped me. It hurt to move my arm. “Fine. I’ll just see what my idols got me for presents.” I tore into the basket, surprised they’d guessed on what I liked so well. And I was pretty sure there were things not sold in a hospital gift shop in it too. But I wasn’t going to question it, not at the moment. I was stuck in a hospital for a few more hours and was grateful for the entertainment. I turned on the TV for some background noise while I worked on a crossword puzzle.

”And in other news, an alien race has been identified and found to be living in secret on Earth. Not all of them were as friendly as previous visitors. A few of them attempted to kidnap Lena Luthor! Can you imagine that? The guts is has take to attempt one of the most well protected citizens of the city. But Supergirl did what she does and saved the day before things could escalate.”

”Crap. Lena.” I pulled my bag off the floor and sighed in relief when I saw my phone nestled among my gym clothes. And it was still alive. I hastily sent a text to her, hoping I wasn’t fired for not showing up.

_Hey Ms. Luthor, sorry I wasn’t in today. It’s a long story, but I swear, I will be in on time tomorrow._

_Do not worry about it Sydney. I heard what happened. I want you to be sure that you are feeling better before you even think about coming back in. You have some sick days you can use._ I hadn’t been expecting a response so quick, but there it was.

_If you’re sure you’ll be okay. I don’t want things getting screwed up for you._

_I am absolutely sure. I can handle my schedule for a day or two while you recuperate. Just make sure you’re feeling fine before you come back in._

_Okay. Thank you Ms. Luthor. I will let you know when I’m coming back._

_Perfect. Get better soon._

I put it away and went back to the puzzles. The doctor said I could go after a couple hours and had to pass the time somehow.

I had never been so glad to be home. Hospitals sucked and I never wanted to go back. It had been a pleasant surprise to learn that an anonymous donor had paid for everything, but other than that, not a fun trip. I waved at the landlord, and he sort of waved back. I put the gift basket on the counter and went to my room to change into something else. I went to my closet to get a jacket to wear, but couldn’t find the one I wanted. I’d probably left it at work or something. I shrugged, found a different one, and went back to the couch. I stretched my arm out slowly, just to see how far I could go without it hurting too much. I hated being stuck at home. I needed to be doing something and right now, I couldn’t do much. I made some lunch and sat around doing nothing for a few more hours. When dinner rolled around, I grabbed my keys and headed out. I had to get out and do something, even if it was just getting something to eat. I kept a wary eye out as I walked to the bus. I was not getting jumped again.

I went to one of my favorite restaurants and got something to go.

”If we continue bumping into each other like this, we may need to file retraining orders or something.” I turned around, surprised.

”Hey Kat. I really don’t think that’ll be necessary. Seems a little extreme.”

”I suppose you’re right. Did you get your work thing figured out last night?”

”Work thing?”

”Yeah. You said you had some big project that wasn’t working out. You were pretty upset about it.” I really had no idea what she was talking about.

”Oh, that. Yeah. It worked itself out without my help. I was overreacting I guess.”

”We've all been there I suppose. But I'm glad it worked out. Working for Lena Luthor has to come with some stress."

"Some days, yeah. But enough about me. How's it going, molding young minds and teaching the future?"

"Oh, it's insane. Half the kids in my class can’t seem to get enough of what I’m talking about, and the other half won’t shut up. I mean, I love all my students, but sometimes I wish I could throw things at them. Nothing big, just like a marker or something.” I laughed.

”I feel you. When I used to babysit before moving here, there were some kids I just adored. And then others I wanted to tuck into bed before the sun went down just so I wouldn’t have to listen to them.”

”So you’re not from here then. You mentioned it before, but I wasn’t sure. Where’d you come from.” My food came up, but I really didn’t want to go home now and sheepishly took it to a table to talk. We talked for a little while as we ate, Justin random crap about her students and L-Corp. It was nice to have someone normal to talk to. I only ever talked about work with Lena and hadn’t had the chance to try and make other friends.

”What’d you do to your arm?” She asked when I winced stretching out.

”Oh that. It’s nothing.”

”Nothing doesn’t make you make that face.”

”Fine. I was heading home last night and someone attacked me. I don’t know who or anything.”

”Holy crap. Are you okay?”

”Oh I’m fine. The doctor said I’d be fine in a day or so. Nothing major.”

”That’s terrifying. But I’m sure your insurance is something to be jealous of and your boss will let you take it easy.”

”No kidding. She told me I could take however long I needed and it’d be fine. I’ve never had an employer tell me that before. At the job I had before moving here, I sprained my wrist, got a brace for it, and went back a few hours later. Super fun.”

”Yikes. But that’s behind you, because Lena freaking Luthor is your boss now. The woman doesn’t get nearly enough credit for the things she does.”

”Tell me about it.” I glanced at the time and sighed, “I should probably head home. It’s going to be a pain sleeping like this and I’m going to need it if I want to work tomorrow.”

”If you work tomorrow. But I should probably go too. My cat gets lonely after a while.” I laughed a little and followed her outside. The sun was starting to set and it was actually really nice out. A breeze blew some dust at us and I couldn’t help sneezing, wincing when I moved my arm to cover my nose.

”You still got those tissues I gave you last night?”

”I should. They’re probably in my bag. I haven’t emptied it out just yet. I’m sure they’ll come in handy.”

”I hope so.”

”Get home safe this time. Hospitals are no fun.”

”You’re telling me.” She waved and walked in the opposite direction I was heading. I grinned a little bit and went on my way. Walking from the bus stop home was a bit more nerve wracking than usual. I jumped at almost every shadow and looked behind me every few steps. But no one leaped out of the shadows this time. I grabbed my bag from last night and dumped everything out. The pack of tissues fell out last, bouncing off my water bottle. I picked it up and noticed something sticking out of it. A small piece of paper had been stuck into it, with a phone number written on it.

”Huh.” That was new for me. I assumed it was Kat’s and programmed it into my phone, sending her a quick message saying I’d made it home this time. I got a little thumbs up and smiley face in response. I smiled and plugged it in before getting ready for bed. I was going to work tomorrow and needed sleep for that.

So of course it had to be riddled with nightmares and random things that made no sense. A glowing green knife, the blur of a cape, and a cage that kept getting smaller and smaller, glowing green as it got closer. But I woke up with my alarm, only a little disoriented, shoulder throbbing a little bit. I texted Lena, letting her know I’d be in today. I ate me breakfast and went on my way.


	10. Once a Hero, Always a Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sydney has recovered just fine from her attack. Random dreams still wake her up from time to time, but nothing she hasn’t dealt with before. But there’s something different and Ms. Luthor seems to be watching her closely.

“It’s finally fall!” I said to my coffee maker. It just hummed quietly as it made my drink. I glanced out the window, grinning. The fog was everywhere and it was great. I'd missed it while I was here. Fog had been a normal thing and it was nice to see it, even if I knew it wasn't going to stick around long. I almost wanted to call in late to work, just to enjoy the morning. But I wouldn't do that. It had been a week since the attack and I didn't want to miss anymore work. Lena had sent me home early a couple times and I wasn't going to lose anymore. I found the bag of mini marshmallows and put a few in my hot chocolate. I grabbed a blanket, wrapped it around myself like a cape, and took my mug outside to my little balcony. It was perfect. It was only a little chilly and there was no wind. The fog was just all around and it was perfect. I breathed it in, smiling a little into my mug.

I stood there for a few minutes, taking it slow. I’d woken up earlier than I’d intended, unable to fall back asleep after the most recent bad dream. Some stranger kept throwing things at me and when I caught them, it burned. Like some insane version of Hot Potato, except I couldn’t drop the things. Not pleasant. I was pulled out of thinking about that by a crash below. I glanced down, concerned. Traffic had been going slow but it looked like someone had been going too fast or something and rear ended the car in front of them, pushing ‘that’ car into the one in front of it, shoving it into the light pole. I didn’t hesitate and moved back inside to go and help. No one even noticed me show up. A small crowd had formed, trying to figure out if they could help. I saw a few on their phones, hopefully calling the police or fire department. That would’ve been the smart thing to do. From down here I could see it was worse than just a few cars rammed into each other. The first one, a delivery truck by the looks of it, had shoved a giant pick up truck almost entirely on top of a little car. And the car was smashed right into the light pole. The driver of the pick up carefully dropped down, looking only a little banged up. Everyone’s concern was the car. No one had climbed out yet, but we could all hear someone calling for help. But no one seemed keen to get any closer.

”Babies.” I muttered, moving between people. I ignored the looks I was getting, realizing my blanket was still around my shoulders. There was some smoke coming from somewhere and I coughed a little bit, squinting. The fog had been nice higher up, it was just inconvenient down here.

”Hey, watch out!” Someone shouted and I jumped back as another car crashed into the pile, squishing the poor little car more, and blocking a couple of the doors. The screech of metal on metal hurt my ears and was bringing back all sorts of unpleasant memories I’d buried. I saw a kid inside, the one crying and calling for help. The woman driving looked unconscious. I took a deep breath, clearing my head and grabbed a door handle. It didn’t budge. I pulled harder, hoping it was just a little stuck. No luck. It had been bent just enough out of shape to not cooperate. The smoke was getting thicker and something was definitely on fire, but I wasn’t abandoning the kid. I climbed onto the hood of the car and examined the windshield. It was cracked in a few places, but that was it. The woman was stirring and glanced around, disoriented. I waved a little. I don’t know what she saw, but she looked relieved and smiled. She somehow managed to get out of her seat in the front and into the back with the kid who looked maybe seven. I ignored the noise and chaos around me and focused on the windshield. I chose a spot that was cracked, and without pausing to think it through, I punched it. As hard as I could. The crack spread a little, but not much.

”Come on damn it. You’re already broken. Break like a normal window.” I mumbled. I’d already committed to it and hit it again. A much bigger crack grew. I laughed a little, glancing inside the car. The kid was watching with wide, terrified eyes, and it looked like the woman had passed out again. She had a nasty cut on her head and I figured that was why.

”Think I can do it with one more hit?” I said louder, not even sure he could hear me. But he nodded, tears on his face, “Cool. Me too.” I focused again, took as deep a breath as I could in the smoke, and hit the glass. It shattered, most of it falling into the car with a crash. I cheered a little and climbed inside without hesitating. It was hot in the car. And it smelled like gas. Not great.

”Hey, you’re going to be alright. Okay? Come on, you can get out this way.” I swatted away most of the stray glass with my arm, glad I’d worn a long sleeve shirt, and held my hand out to him. He sniffled, looking at the woman I assumed was his mom or sister.

”We’ll be right behind you. But she’d want you out first. Can you be brave for just a little bit longer and climb out here?”

”Okay.” He said quietly.

”Awesome.” He took my hand and I carefully pulled him towards the front. I glanced behind me and saw a few others had come closer and someone was actually on the car as well, watching us.

”I’ve got him if you want to get her.” He said, kneeling down and reaching in.

”We’ll be right behind you. I promise. He’s got you now.” I handed him over, making sure he didn’t get scratched. I climbed into the backseat, trying to figure out how to get her out. I didn’t want to drag her through the car, not with a head wound and who knew what else. I’d just make things worse. The door was our best option. I tried opening it from the inside, but it was just as stuck as it had been from out.

”Fine. I love the hard way.” I moved around until I was in a good position to try and kick it open. The first kick hurt like hell, “Okay. Not that way.” I moved a little bit more, picked a different spot and kicked it hard. It actually budged a little bit. I didn’t stop to celebrate this time, noticing it getting hotter. I kicked the same spot and the whole door almost flew off. I knew it wasn’t smart, but we had to get out, now. I carefully started pulling the woman out the door, trying my best not to jostle her too much. I somehow managed it. One second I was trying to maneuver us out the door, the next we were outside, in the smoke filled air. I could hear the sirens now. Perfect.

”Everyone get back! This isn’t stable and could blow at any second!” A police officer was directing people back. The little boy was with some paramedics, looking for us. I pulled the woman a couple feet when I felt something change behind us. I glanced back, watching a small trail of fire race along a line of oil or gas, towards the engine of the truck. We weren’t going to get far enough away quick enough. I took a deep breath and moved the woman in front of me and even though I wasn’t much bigger than she was, covered her as much as I could, bracing for what came next. I heard the boom and felt the heat for a fraction of a second before something stopped it from hitting us. I glanced over, smiling when I saw the familiar red cape being held over us. Once the fire had passed by, she stepped back, watching carefully.

”Are you alright?” She asked.

”Yeah. I’m fine. Not even a scratch. Is she okay?”

”She’ll be alright. Nothing bleeding internally and head wounds just bleed a lot. But I’ll let the paramedics make sure, just to be safe.” She waved at the crowd around us, smiling like she always did. A couple medics came over, taking over. The kid came out of nowhere, barreling into Supergirl.

”She saved us Supergirl! All by herself!” I glanced around, hoping no one else had realized exactly what I’d done. I looked back at the car and could just make out the door I’d kicked open. It was barely hanging on.

”She sure did. Why don’t you thank her and then head out with these nice officers so they can call someone to get you.”

”Okay. Thank you miss!” He gave me a small hug before following the gurney to an ambulance. No one was paying attention to me and I discreetly snuck away before someone could start asking questions. Only Supergirl seemed to notice, but she didn’t stop me. I watched her talk to a few people before taking off. I watched her fly for a second, wondering what that’d be like. Probably terrifying, but fun as hell. I got back inside my apartment without anyone stopping me. Somehow the blanket had stayed on the entire time and I shrugged it off. The poor thing was covered in soot and burned in several places. I folded it as best as I could and put it in my closet. I checked the time and realized I was running a little behind. I hopped in the shower, hoping it would be enough to get rid of the smoke smell that was following me around.

I made it to work right on time though. No problem. I waved to our head of security and headed up. Another guard was leaning against the wall outside the elevator, but I’d gotten used to that. I wasn’t about to tell my boss that it was a bit much. She wanted a second guard, she could have a second guard. Plus, on slow days, it was someone to talk to. I was about to knock on her door when I heard my name. I opened the door quietly and poked my head in. Kara Danvers was sitting across from Lena.

”You should have seen her Lena. It’s a good thing we decided to keep an eye on her. She didn’t even hesitate to get those people out. Alex’s agent said that she saved their lives. And she was willing to get seriously hurt to protect that woman.”

”Well then it’s a good thing you were there. We never got a chance to fully test her invincibility. We don’t know if she would have walked away from that unscathed.”

”I know! But what if we made a mistake, taking those things away from her? We promised her she wouldn’t be alone, and we broke that.”

”She’s not alone Kara. We’re still here for her, but she’s safer now. It was for her protection that we had J’onn intervene. And he wouldn’t have done it if he didn’t think it was a good idea.”

”I know. It was hard though. Last week, she didn’t know who I was. And earlier, her first interaction with Supergirl, ever, and, I don’t know. It didn’t feel right.”

”I know. Maybe once we get things figured out, we can find some way to get things back to the way they were. We all missed her at game night too. But for now, until we’re sure she’s not danger, it has to be like this.” I backed up and set my stuff down. I had no idea what they were talking about, but it was definitely about me. And all the other things they were saying. Kara hadn’t been there. I was thinking it over when the door opened all and she came out with Lena.

”Oh, good morning Sydney. I didn’t realize you were in already.”

”Don’t worry about it Ms. Luthor. I was just double checking your meetings for today. Good morning Ms. Danvers. It’s great to see you again.”

”You too. Um, you’ve got something on your face. By your ear.” She said. I ran my finger over it and it came away black. Apparently I’d missed some soot.

”Oh that. I was just doing some dishes and must’ve touched my face with the sponge. Whoops.” I wiped at it more, hoping I got it all this time. She grinned a little.

”Hate when that happens. See you for lunch later Lena?”

”Absolutely. Thank you for stopping by now too.”

”Anytime. Remember you can call me whenever.”

"I know. If I need anything, I will." Kara smiled before walking away. I noticed the small, strange look she gave me, but didn't say anything.

"So, my first meeting isn't for a while so I was wondering if you could help me out with something?"

"Of course Ms. Luthor." I followed her in and saw that her office was a mess, "Oh my. Late spring cleaning?" she laughed a little bit.

"Sort of. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I lost something, somewhere in all this. It's embarrassing really. I thought I had everything arranged perfectly."

"It happens. I couldn't find my gloves a couple days ago and took apart my whole place. Found some boxes I hadn't touched in years with some stuff from my parents. So it wasn't a total waste of time. What are we looking for?"

"One of Lex's notebooks. He may have been a murderous maniac, but he was a genius. I keep running into a snag on this thing I'm working on for Kara and it's driving me insane. I'm hoping he had something helpful. If they're not here, they may be at home. But I wanted to go through all of this stuff first. Make sure I didn't miss it."

"Okay. Where would you like me to begin and what does this notebook look like?"

”Un, start in that box over there and it’s a plain brown leather notebook.”

”Awesome. Where’s my magnet to find this needle?” I said quietly. I sat down and started digging through the box.

”What’d you do to your hand?” She asked, glancing over. I’d hoped to avoid that. I hadn’t been entirely honest with Supergirl. I’d gotten a couple scratches from punching a windshield. But they were so minor I hadn’t noticed until I was getting cleaned up.

”Boxing. I hit the punching bag a little harder than was probably necessary.” I wasn’t sure if she believed me or not, but she didn’t say anything. Just smiled sadly and went back to looking. We still hadn’t found the notebook when it was time for her first meeting. I made sure everything we’d looked through was separated from the rest and stacked everything else neatly off to the side. I welcomed the guy in and made myself comfortable at my desk. I could actually think over what I’d heard earlier. Something was being kept from me, but I couldn’t quite put it together. It felt like I was missing some crucial piece and I just couldn’t find it. Supergirl was involved somehow, I was certain of that. I spent the rest of the day trying to figure it out. Between keeping her on schedule and looking through more boxes at least. Kara didn’t stop by for lunch like she had said she would, but Lena didn’t seem too concerned.

"Ms. Luthor, there's an Alex Danvers here to see you. She said it's important." I poked my head through the door, interrupting her last meeting of the day. She looked surprised.

"Okay. Um, I do apologize, but it must be a family thing."

"Of course, of course."

"Thank you so much. Sydney, could you tell her I'll be out in just a moment? Just allow me to finish this up."

"Sure." I closed the door and turned around. Ms. Danvers was sitting patiently, reading something on her phone, "Ms. Luthor will be out as soon as she can. It'll take just a minute to finish up.”

”Of course. I don’t mind waiting.” I watched her for a second, thinking.

”So, you wouldn’t happen to be related to Kara Danvers would you?” She laughed, putting her phone down.

”I am actually. She’s my sister.”

”Huh. Well that’s cool. I actually met her briefly last week. She interviewed me for a story she was working on. Crime in National City.”

”She mentioned that actually. You’re the one that was attacked coming home from the gym right?”

”Yeah. I can’t believe she brought it up at home. It can’t have been that interesting.”

”We’ll talk about really anything.”

”That must be nice.” I sat down in my chair and glanced at my phone. Kat has sent a few texts and I grinned, replying to them.

”Planning a hot date?” I glanced up, not realizing I was still smiling like a dope.

”Oh, no. Just talking to a friend. She’s a teacher and some of the things her students do are just ridiculous and need to be shared.”

”Sounds fun.”

”Oh yeah. I’ll get a few updates a day. Kids are so weird.”

”Oh I know that much. My son is certainly a weird one.”

”But I’m sure he’s adorable enough for it to be okay. It’s not so cute when middle schoolers throw things.”

”This is true.” Lena’s door opened and she shook hands with the guy, apologizing again.

”Don’t worry Ms. Luthor. Another meeting can easily be rescheduled. Family comes first.”

”Thank you for understanding. Sydney will make sure you are taken care of. Alex, come on in.”

”Nice to meet you Sydney.” I waved awkwardly and turned to set up the meeting for tomorrow.

”Ms. Luthor has a very diligent assistant.”

”So I’ve been told. Alright, so I’ve got you squeezed in first thing tomorrow morning, no problem.”

”Excellent. Thank you so much.”

”Of course. Have a good day.” I watched him go and sat back down, spinning a little in my chair. This close to the end of they say, I seriously considered just letting Lena know I was leaving. She was capable of handling a meeting with someone she clearly knew well. But I couldn’t do it. It felt weird to leave her alone, even though I knew she would be fine. I opened the messages from Kat, thinking about what Alex had asked. We’d been texting almost constantly since I found her number with my stuff. I didn’t think it was anything like that. No way was I going to overthink it and ruin the one friendship I had in the entire city though. I started playing Minesweeper just to pass some time. I’d eavesdropped enough for one day, even though I couldn’t help thinking I was being talked about again. My mind wandered a little as I clicked on the little squares, trying to put together the puzzle I’d been working on all day. Something was still eluding me, but I’d get it figured out eventually.


	11. Seeing Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something is missing. Sydney just isn't sure what the hell it is. Something has been off since she woke up in that hospital bed after the attack she can' recall. But she's not going to let the mystery interfere with her life. Kat is incredibly fun to hang out with and work couldn't be any easier. With Halloween approaching fast, plans are being made to enjoy the best holiday of the year.

"Every woman in this city has been dressing up as Supergirl for years now. You couldn't try to be original?" Kat asked, looking at the cape I had hanging on the door.

"I have never dressed up as her before. And what better place to do that than in National City? What if she's out doing stuff, sees me, and compliments the look? That would just make my year."

"I think that would make most people's year. She has been known to fly around, complimenting costumes from time to time. Usually little kids trick or treating, but you never know."

"Exactly. And I put a lot of work into getting the new suit. She only just started flying around in it and it got here like two days ago."

"And I'm sure if she sees it, she will be very impressed. Do you have plans to wear it outside of your apartment?"

"Uh, no, not really. No. Don't really think it'd be appropriate attire for work at L-Corp." she laughed a little bit.

"I don't know. Supergirl has been seen coming and going from there for years. If you read a tabloid, there's even a theory that she and Lena Luthor are together. People call it Supercorp. And as unlikely as it may be, I can't say I'd be against it. But that's not what we're talking about. A few other teachers are throwing a party. It's kind of a regular thing and last year it was pretty cool. You are welcome to come as well, if you wanted to."

"Sure. Sounds like it could be fun. It is my first Halloween in National City and hanging out with a bunch of teachers could be entertaining. I'm sure you're all way more fun than the one's I had as a student."

"Oh, they are loads of fun. Scout's honor."

"I mean, if you say so. But yeah, I'll tag along. Thanks for inviting me."

"Of course. Friends don’t let friends be alone on the best holiday of the year. I’ll text you the details once they’re a little more solid. But I should probably head out. Dom gets ornery when she’s left alone for too long.”

”I’m not entirely this cat of yours exists. Or it’s a demon. She sounds like she’s a little monster.”

”She is an angel. You can meet her eventually.” She grabbed her jacket and headed out. I locked the door behind her and looked around. I needed to clean up. I turned on some music and started with the dishes.

The next week and a half passed quickly and Halloween dawned foggy and cold.

”Perfect. Thank god the new suit has pants." I mumbled. "Fingers crossed no one needs saving this morning. I'm not getting the thing dirty.” I put on my jacket as I headed out the door. Maybe I could ask Ms. Luthor if I could leave early today. I grinned seeing all the kids in costume on their way to school. I counted at least seven Supergirls pretending to fly around the city. I was getting off the bus when a little girl I hadn’t noticed before barreled last me, cheering.

”Dad! Look! L-Corp! Lena Luthor works here.” I smiled, moving over so dad could keep up. I laughed a little when I saw the lab coat she was wearing.

”I told you we’d see it. Even better, we can go inside. Maybe you’ll get to see her.” She squealed and ran ahead of him, weaving through the others coming to work. He sighed and started after her. I followed, catching him easily.

”Hi, sorry, don’t mean to be creepy or anything but meeting Lena Luthor would probably make her day right?”

”Oh she’d lose it. I’m sure she has other things to do though.”

”Well, I happen to know that she has some free time right about now. Want to be the best dad of the year and introduce your daughter to her hero?” He stared at me, confused.

”Really? How can you know that?”

”I’m her assistant. I know her schedule better than I know mine some days. I’d have to make sure she’s okay with it, but I don’t see why it would be a problem.”

”I mean, if you can make that happen, that would be amazing.”

”I’ll go up and check now. If you think you can manage to keep her here for like five minutes, I’ll be right back.”

”I’m sure it won’t be an issue. It may take that long to find her.” He looked around before starting in the direction of her white coat. I waved at the security desk and headed up. The usual guard was leaning against the wall, looking a little bored. I knocked on the office door before poking my head in. Lena was behind her desk, writing some complicated looking equations on a whiteboard. I wasn’t even sure she had heard me knock. I went in and cleared my throat, loudly. She jumped a little and turned around.

”I’m sorry Sydney. I didn’t hear you come in. My first meeting isn’t for about an hour yet, is something wrong?”

”Not wrong, no. But there’s a little girl in the lobby all sorts of excited for Halloween and it would be her dream come true to meet her hero.”

”I’m really not supposed to call Supergirl unless it’s an emergency.”

”I’m sure she loves Supergirl too, but that’s not who she’s dressed up as. She chose a different hero. One whose name happens to start with an L.”

”Really? There’s a little girl in my building dressed up as me for Halloween?”

”There is. Could I maybe bring her and her dad up here to say hi?”

”Of cours, of course. Please do.” She was smiling. It hit me as I rode back down that I didn’t think I’d seen such a genuine smile from her since I’d started working here. Running a giant corporation had to be stressful, especially when it used to have such a taint to it. The dad was talking to the security guy, holding his daughters hand to keep her from running off.

”Good news. She wants to meet you.”

”Really? She said yes?” He seemed surprised.

”She absolutely did. Come on, this way.” They followed me back into the elevator, the girl looking confused.

”Where are we going? Are we allowed to be in here Dad?”

”It’s a surprise. Could you hit that top button for me?”

”Who are you?” She asked once we started going up.

”No one important. So Lena Luthor huh? Excellent choice. What made you choose her?”

”She’s the best! She does all sorts of amazing science and helps people all over the world. Without superpowers! And she’s friends with Supergirl, which is cool too. Have you seen her here before?”

”I see her occasionally.” The doors opened and she squealed a little bit.

”Dad! That’s her office! She works there! Is it okay for us to be up here?” She watched the guard carefully as we walked by.

”It’s okay. I swear. Could you maybe close your eyes really quick? Just so you can see her office all at once?”

”Sure.” She closes them, taking her dad’s hand. I held the door open and Lena was standing by her desk, still smiling.

”Okay Megan, you can open your eyes now.” She did, looking around. She wasn’t facing the front and it took her a couple seconds to turn around entirely. And when she saw Lena, she gasped, at a loss for words.

”Welcome to L-Corp Megan. I’m Lena Luthor.” She came over, kneeling down to shake Megan’s hand. It took her a moment to recover, but when she did, she threw her arms around Lena, smiling widely. It looked like it caught her a little off guard, but she hugged the girl right back. I smiled, backing out. My work was done. I unlocked my computer, triple checking her schedule for the day. Nothing much. I wasn’t sure if she’d planned it that way for Halloween, but it worked well for me. It meant I might be able to get away early. About half an hour later, the office door opened, Megan’s dad thanking Lena.

”It was no trouble at all. It was a pleasure meeting Megan. Really. And remember what I said. Just because someone tells you that science is a boy thing, ignore them. Do whatever it is you want to and you will show them all just how wrong they were.”

”Thank you Ms. Luthor. My friends will never believe this.”

”Well why don’t we take a picture so you can show them? Sydney, do you mind?”

”Not at all Ms. Luthor.” I took the phone handed my way and after some fussing, snapped a couple, “Perfect.” I handed it back, smiling a little bit.

”Ms. Luthor?”

”Yes Megan?”

”Can you tell Supergirl I said hi?”

”Of course I can. The first thing I’m going to do when I see her next is tell her all about you.”

”Really?”

”Of course. Now go on. I think your dad is ready to head out.”

”Fiiine. Come on Dad. Let’s go get me some candy.”

”Yes ma’am. After you, little Luthor.” She laughed and skipped to the elevator.

”I’ll see you guys down.” I followed, grabbing something out of my desk. The doors closed and Megan was bouncing in place.

”Thank you Sydney. For making that happen.”

”Of course. I knew it would make both of their days. She doesn't get nearly enough recognition from the people of this city. She needed this. And you need this." I handed her a couple pieces of candy, "I'm basically a toddler and have candy everywhere. And it's Halloween."

"Thank you. So much." she hugged me, taking the candy too.

"You're very welcome." I walked them to the door, "Happy Halloween Megan." they waved as they walked out, Megan skipping some more, grinning from ear to ear. I walked back to the elevator and was heading back up when someone called across the lobby.

"Hold the door!" I reacted without thinking, stopping them from closing at the last second.

"Thank you." a man in a suit sighed in relief, leaning against the wall. I pushed the button for Lena's floor, "Do you work for Ms. Luthor?"

"I do. And you are early for your appointment."

"I try to be. Makes a good impression."

"I suppose that's true. But I'll have to be sure she's ready to see you. Just a moment please." the doors opened and I sped up to get to the doors first. Lena was back at her desk writing something down.

"Ms. Luthor, your first appointment is here. He knows he's early, but he's trying to make a good impression."

"They all try that. It doesn't usually end well. But I admire the effort. Give me a couple minutes and I'll be right out."

"Okay." I turned around and sat back at my desk, "She will be out momentarily. Just a couple things to finish up."

"Of course, of course. You are quite the efficient assistant."

"I'm good at my job. Can't afford to lose it by slacking." I pulled out the calendar and made some changes to the day. Lena came out a few minutes later and the day began. I finalized my plans for the night and the last meeting ended right on time. I finished the schedule for Monday and closed everything down. I knocked on her door before poking my head in. I hated leaving without checking in on her. I couldn't say why, but it just felt weird to not make sure she was okay. She wasn't sitting at her desk and that made me even more nervous.

"Ms. Luthor?" I went in and glanced around. She was standing outside on her balcony, a glass of wine in hand. I knocked on the door before joining her, "Everything okay?" something about her being out here alone with a drink was unnerving, I just didn't know why.

"I'm great actually. My day started out very well."

"Yeah, Megan was great. I'm glad you liked her. I thought it would be a good way to start Halloween. Kids in costumes always make me smile."

"They are a nice sight. Almost as nice as this can be some days." she gestured around, to her view of the city. I got a little closer to the balcony, but not much. I had never been afraid of heights, but I could feel myself starting to freak out a little bit.

"It is certainly something. I know the view from my place isn't this great. But it's not too bad either." she was watching me carefully and backed away from the edge, frowning a little, "So, the day is done with. I've got your Monday planned out and Kara left a message for you before you leave. Something about a last minute thing at Alex's place tonight. The note is on your desk for you."

"Thank you very much Sydney. I'm sure you've got your own plans for the night. You are more than free to go and enjoy your first Halloween in National City. It is really a treat."

"Okay. I just had to be sure you were alright before I headed out. Not really sure why."

"It's alright. I appreciate the dedication. Really. I've had bad things happen to me in this office over the years. There's hasn't always been someone there to help. It is nice to have someone to check in. But you are free to go. You've checked on me and I am fine. Enjoy your night."

"Thank you Ms. Luthor. See you on Monday." I waved and headed out, glancing back just to be sure. She was watching me still, looking deep in thought. I grabbed all my things and headed home. Kat called after about an hour.

"Hey. You're still up for partying hard with your local educators?"

"Of course I am. This costume is too glorious to not be seen by others. And there's free food. You'll text me the address?"

"I was actually going to drive myself and thought it would be easier to pick you up along the way. Unless you'd rather take the bus."

"No, no. I'm fine with you driving. Just give me a time and I'll be outside."

"Okay cool. An hour work for you?"

"Yup. Hour works perfect."

"Awesome. See you soon." she hung up and I grinned at my phone. It had been a while since I'd been this excited to hang out with someone. I just sort of wished I had someone else to talk to about it. But I didn't have any other people saved in my phone. I felt sorry for myself for maybe ten seconds before I started getting ready. I ate something small, because I actually had no idea what to expect for food at the party. I was fastening the cape when my phone went off again. Kat was on her way over. I hastily ran a brush through my hair, trying to get it as close to Supergirl's as I could. Wasn't easy, but I was pretty proud of it. I grabbed my keys and made sure I had my phone before heading out. A couple of the kids in the building waved as I passed and I waved back, smiling. Two little girls were dressed as Supergirl as well and wanted to take a picture. I was kneeling next to one of them outside when Kat pulled up.

"Happy Halloween. But I gotta go." I stood and waved at Kat. She was smiling.

"That was cute." I climbed in, making sure I didn't shut the cape in the door.

"Aw thanks. How long have you had a car? And why are you always taking the bus?"

"Taking the bus is easier. I use this for road trips and special occasions."

"And this is a special occasion?"

"Of course it is. Halloween is the most special of occasions." I laughed.

"I suppose that is true. Nice costume by the way. Indiana Jones?"

"You try coming up with something decent that a history teacher can dress up as that is fun. Though no one really got it because I couldn't bring the whip with me."

"They're young. They don't know something good when they see it." I don't know what made me say that, but I did. I felt my face turn a little red and looked out the window, embarrassed. But she didn't seem to find it odd or anything.

"My coworkers got it. That was all that mattered."

"The most important part of course."

"And they will love your costume. That is damn near perfect and I am impressed now that I can see it all."

"Well thank you. It wasn't easy to find, or get into, but I did it."

"You certainly did. Aaand here we are." We were just outside of the city, with all the happily decorated houses and kids out getting candy.

"Your friend drives all the way into town to teach? That drive has to be ridiculous."

"He makes it work somehow. It would drive me insane though." I climbed out, stretching. Quite a few more supers were out walking around here and they were adorable.

"She sees this right? Somehow, Supergirl sees what she's done right? How much she's inspired so many people over the years?"

"I'm pretty sure she has. It's been almost five years. Come on, we're like the last ones here." she grabbed my hand and pulled me inside. She introduced me to her friends and the next few hours flew by. Got all sorts of compliments and pictures taken. Had a few drinks, but nothing too major. It took a lot to get me anywhere close to drunk, and the teachers didn't have nearly enough. Kat didn't seem to have any issues. I couldn't help laughing some as she had more and more to drink.

"Okay, so I think I'm going to take her home now. Before she hurts herself." She was standing on a table with a couple others, singing the Monster Mash.

"That is probably a good idea." I think he was another history teacher of some sort, just a different grade.

"You wouldn't by chance know where home is, would you? I'm not sure she's in the best state to tell me."

"I do. Let me find a pen and some paper while you get her down."

"Thank you." I stood up and wove my way through the crowd, "Hey Kat. We need to head out to the car now. Think you can get off the table?"

"Why would I do that? Everything is so much more fun up here." At least she'd heard me.

"I'm sure it is. But it's pretty neat down here too. Come on Indy." I held my hand out, waiting patiently.

"But why Supergirl? I don't work tomorrow and this is great!" she was sort of shouting, but didn't seem to notice.

"It is great. But come on. Dom is going to miss you if you don't come home soon."

"Aw! Dom. My wittle kitty cat. She's sort of a little menace. But I just love her so much. She's the best cat. Come on. You can meet her." she took a step forward to get down and tripped over a cup. I somehow caught her before she could hurt herself or someone else. A few people watching applauded and cheered at the 'rescue', "Wow. You're fast."

"I try. Thank you." I said to the other teacher when he handed me her address.

"No problem." I got all our stuff together, little gift bags included, and we got out of the house. It had cooled down considerably and I was once again glad that the new suit had pants. How Supergirl made it four years in a skirt was beyond me, but it just made her more of a hero.

"Alright Kat, come on. Don't hit your head here, it kind of hurts." I got the passenger door open and somehow got her into the seat without an issue, "Got your seatbelt?"

"Of course I do. It's not that difficult." she mumbled, pulling it out way too much.

"Uh huh. Not at all." I got in the other side and took it from her, buckling it. She pouted a little bit, but didn't say anything. She turned to stare out the window as I pulled up the GPS on my phone, "Let me know if you feel like you're going to hurl okay? I don't think you want to have to worry about cleaning up in here."

"Mmkay." I glanced over and it looked like she was ready to pass out. Made things a little more manageable for me. I made sure to take the turns slow, just to be safe.

"Thank goodness your parking situation isn't a nightmare. Not sure I could handle anything complicated right now." I got as close as I could to the door to her building. She fumbled only a little with the buckle before getting it herself.

"See. I've got this." she then proceeded to fight with the door I hadn't unlocked yet.

"You certainly do." I helped her out and made sure she didn't trip on anything before we got inside.

"Elevator. There. I'm not going up any stairs like this." We didn't wait long and she only fumbled with her keys for maybe thirty seconds before getting the right one in the lock, "Dom! Here kitty. I've got a friend for you to meet." she looked around, moving a little faster than I anticipated. She didn't get far before she started wobbling.

"Oh boy. Wall's not supposed to do that." and she bolted. I hastily shut the door and followed. Wasn't sure if she wanted me to, but I wasn't going to leave her alone just yet. I managed to get her hair out of the way before she threw up on it, "I think there's some aspirin in the gift bags."

"I'll check. Don't go far." I dumped out the little bag on her table, going through the candy and other Halloween themed things. A pair of earrings caught my eye for a second, reflecting a bright red in the light, but I moved them over, aspirin right underneath. I stood up quickly. A little too quickly apparently. Things spun for a second and I could've sworn I saw something red creeping over my hand. I shook my head, clearly seeing things.

"Aspirin. And some water." I handed them both to her, a little shyly.

"Thank you. There you are Dom. Who's a good kitty?" I turned around and a beast of a cat snuck past me, hopping into Kat's lap, purring insanely loud.

"That's not a house cat. That's a lion right?" she laughed a little, still looking a little green.

"Not quite. But she appreciates the compliment. So, I'm going to go lay down now. Thank you for getting me back here." she started to stand and I helped her up all the way.

"Of course. Couldn't leave you out in the suburbs. Far too much space out there. And I'm sure the beastie here would worry." Dom meowed and streaked off.

"She wouldn't even notice." she took slow steps back out to the living room and collapsed onto the couch, "Let me know you that you get home okay. Halloween is weird around here sometimes."

"Of course. Don't party too hard." I grabbed a blanket from a chair and carefully draped it over her before heading out. I caught the bus just as it was pulling away.

"That is quite the costume."

"Thanks. It was worth every penny." I sat down, leaning back, a little tired.

"Hello Supergirl." I opened my eyes when someone took the seat beside me.

"Not quite. Um, could you maybe sit like in front of me or across the aisle? Kind of enjoying my space here."

"Aw come on." his hand barely brushed my leg before I grabbed his wrist, twisting his arm away. He shouted in pain, trying to pull away. I didn't let go.

"See, not so great when people touch without permission. I'd cut it out if I were you." I let go, shoving him away from me. He kind of flew across the aisle, whacking his head on the window. We were at my stop and I hastily got off. It didn't look like the driver had seen it and no one else was on board. That had been strange. I locked my door, changed into pajamas, and passed out in bed.

"Ms. Luthor, I'm running late. Overslept, forgot my coffee. I will be there shortly." A short message was all I had time for. I angrily threw my phone onto my bed, glaring at it. The damn alarm hadn't gone off earlier and I was pissed. Six months and I was going to be late without having a decent excuse. I quickly changed, throwing on a jacket last minute. It was November and things could get weird outside. I slammed the door a little harder than usual.

"Easy there Ms. Fox. I'd rather not have to fix a door." Mr. Scott was writing something down on the other side of the hall.

"You'd rather not have to fix anything in this place." I mumbled once I'd passed him. I ran to the bus stop, making it in record time. Still had to wait for the next bus to arrive though. I tapped my foot, really wishing I could fly. But that was ridiculous. Kryptonians could fly. People couldn't. The bus would suffice. L-Corp seemed a little busier than normal. I knocked on Ms. Luthor's door before poking my head in. She wasn't in a meeting, but hadn't responded to me.

"There you are Sydney. I was a little worried. You're not normally this late."

"All good Ms. Luthor. Stayed up too late last night. I'm not sure I can promise it won't happen again, but I try not to make promises I can't keep."

"Of course, of course. Things happen, I know. I wasn't saying not to make a habit of it." she seemed caught off guard for a second.

"Awesome. I'm gonna go work on your schedule for the rest of the day. Let me know if you need something." I closed the door and tossed my jacket onto the back of my chair, opening my computer.

"Sydney?" I spun around, having not been paying any attention.

"Alex Danvers right?"

"Yeah. Is Lena available?"

"Probably. Physically at least. Not quite sure about emotionally. Let me check." I stood quickly and knocked. She was at her desk, working something out, "Ms. Luthor. Alex Danvers is here. Not sure why, but you're not doing much right now and figured I could send her in." it took her a minute to respond. Apparently I'd caught her off guard.

"Sure. Send her in. And if my next appointment arrives before she leaves, tell them it'll be a small wait."

"Wonderful. Ms. Danvers, you are free to go in." I held the door for her, watching for a second. Something was just out of reach in my head that felt important about her, but I couldn't quite come up with it. I sat back down, resting my feet on my desk. Whatever it was I couldn't remember was going to bother me. I glanced over when someone cleared their throat.

"Sorry, but is Ms. Luthor available? We have a meeting scheduled." I sort of recognized the man standing there.

"Oh, of course. Give me just a second." I didn't knock before poking my head in. Impolite, maybe, but it was too late.

"Sorry. But your next appointment is here Lena. Sorry Alex."

"Don't worry about it. I was heading out. Have something to find now."

"Thank you Alex, for bringing this to my attention. I'll keep an eye on the situation."

"Awesome. Thank you." Alex stood and stepped past me, "Nice jacket by the way Sydney. It's different than your usual, but nice. But I wouldn't recommend leaving leather just lying around. Hangers and coat racks are great."

"I'll keep that in mind. Ms. Luthor will see you now sir."

"Thank you."

"Yup. Ms. Luthor, mind if I dip out a little early for lunch?"

"Not at all. Would you mind picking up something for me as well? I have no preference, just something small?"

"Sure." I closed the door and headed to the elevator, "It's sort of my job." I pulled out my phone and texted Kat, checking if she was up for getting something while she on break.

_Sure. Pizza?_

_Pizza works. _I walked the couple blocks to the place we'd been frequenting and ordered our stuff and Lena's as well.

"Sorry I'm late. Someone needed help with a project. Thank you for ordering for me. That line looks insane."

"No problem." I slid her plate over and continued eating mine.

"So, I know I texted you over the weekend, but thank you for Friday night. You know, getting me home and everything. I've been told I'm not the most functional person when I'm drunk."

"Of course. And really, you we no trouble. I've babysat worse monsters. It was actually kind of cute."

"Really?"

"Absolutely. I'm not sure how I could've been so oblivious about it before." she laughed nervously, moving her hair out of her face. She was wearing the earrings from the party and they caught the light strangely.

"You okay? You look a little sick." she reached over and carefully rested her hand on my forehead, "You've kind of got a fever I think."

"I felt fine a minute ago. But this is nice. Feeling better already." I reached up and took her hand, smiling a little.

"You sure? Because you're not acting like yourself."

"I had a good weekend. Worked some things out." she looked ready to say something else, but her phone went off. She carefully pulled her hand out of mine and looked at it.

"Shit. I gotta go. Principal needs me for something. Um, call me when you're feeling a little better, because I think you've definitely caught something." she grabbed her things and pizza and left me there. Alone. I tossed my pizza crust, grabbed Lena's and left. I pushed the button for her floor and was surprised when it cracked.

"Lena, I'm sorry. I think I caught the flu or something over the weekend."

"Oh no. Well, you are more than welcome to go home early. I can handle the rest of the day. Tomorrow too if necessary. Really."

"Awesome. Thanks. I'll let you know if I feel better tomorrow."

The next couple days were weird. I felt mostly fine, but something was off. Not sick, just off. I called in twice. Something was wrong, and I couldn't figure out what it was.

"Sydney, if you're still feeling strange, you don't have to be here. There are temps I can hire and you have sick days for a reason." Lena had called me into her office between meetings.

"I'm fine Lena. Totally fine." I picked at something under my fingernail, wanting to get back to my computer. I'd had a pretty good streak going on Minesweeper and wanted to beat my best time.

"Are you sure? Because you haven't been yourself all week."

"And how would you possibly know that? I'm your assistant. I get you coffee. Arrange your schedule, perfectly. It's not like we hang out outside of your lovely skyscraper."

"Of course not. I just can't help noticing that you've been acting a little differently."

"Maybe I'm just finally coming into my own. National City has finally shown me who I am. I could finally be myself here."

"And that is wonderful. Really. But you don't look well. Like you haven't been sleeping or something." she was right. I'd been having strange dreams since Halloween. Martians flying around, green rocks being thrown at my head. But she didn't need to know that. They were important, but I couldn't figure them out.

"I am fine. Totally perfect."

"Really? Could you do me a favor and step outside with me for a minute?"

"Um, okay. Fine." the sun was shining through the clouds some, sending glares off various windows, "What are we doing out here? Because the sun is going to give me a headache."

"I wouldn't count on that."

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Just talking to myself."

"Okay. Fine. So, what are we doing here? I really am not a fan of heights, with little balconies like this. Not the most stable of things." I could feel a headache building. Similar to when I woke up from the bad dreams.

"Just admiring the view. Your home. It's so much more than I'm sure you've yet seen. Over here is a favorite spot of mine. You can see the edge of CatCo." she took a step away and stumbled. She caught herself on the edge, but I still raced forward to catch her. And everything came rushing back, just like that. Along with a tidal wave of fury. I backed up from her, the things I'd had taken away from me filling in the blanks. Everything made complete sense now.

"What did you guys do? What the hell? I asked you, _begged _you not to leave me alone! You had J'onn wipe my memory! You had no right!"

"We did what we thought was best Sydney. You kept getting hurt. Badly. You weren't going to be able to live a normal life here."

"Screw that! I didn't want a normal life! I had you guys. You all knew who I was. What I was! You took that away from me!" I was furious. And something felt like it was trying to get out.

"Sydney, I'm sorry. We just wanted to keep you safe. We all liked having you around. But you didn't sign on for this like the rest of us did."

"That doesn't matter! You guys lied to me! You've been lying to me since I woke up in that stupid hospital bed."

"Would you let us explain a little more? Let me call Kara and Alex."

"Oh my god. This whole time they've just been 'randomly' showing up. It hasn't been random has it? They've been checking up on me. When I saved that woman and her kid in that car accident! You guys were monitoring me. Supergirl stepped in to keep me from realizing what I was. I would've been fine! And unscathed. And you guys didn't want that!"

"That's not it at all." I spun around when I heard the cape flutter in the breeze.

"Kara. What, Lena call you already with her little watch thing? Or were you just flying by to do your biweekly check on me? Because guess what, I remember!"

"I'm sorry Sydney. We didn't want to alienate you, but it was the only thing we could think of."

"The only thing? Really? Why not, I don't know, start training me at the DEO? Teach me how to be a Kryptonian. Anything other than taking that away from me. You not only took away my knowledge of the aliens after your best friend, but you took away part of who I was!" she stepped towards me, maybe to comfort me, but I was pissed. I backed up, bumping into the railing. I glanced down at it, thinking, "You know what? Fine. You took it all away once. But you're not the only Kryptonian around National City. We didn't test all my abilities. Let's find out what exactly I can do." I climbed up, balancing carefully.

"Sydney don't! You don't know what you're doing.”

”You’re wrong. For the first time in months, I know exactly what I’m doing. Just leave me alone.” I took a deep breath and spread my arms out, leaning back. They both stepped towards me right as gravity kicked in. For a split second, I regretted my decision, but it was too late now. And with minimal concentration, I caught myself and flew. I streaked past the balcony, noticing the shocked looks as I did. But they were behind me now. I was flying. And I could feel that there was so much more I could do. I started heading up, curious what the city looked like from the clouds. I closed my eyes. feeling the wind go past. I was finally myself again. The weird feeling I'd had since waking up was gone. And it was wonderful. I stopped going up and just hovered, looking around at the city. Everything was so small from up here. After a few minutes I sighed. I had other things to do. Boundaries to push. I was half Kryptonian and had a multitude of potential powers to test. Without the DEO hovering and trying to control me. I flew back down to the city, landing in a park. From there it was simple enough to superspeed my way into various stores to get the things I needed to figure out what I could do. Without the DEO breathing down my neck. I left money on counters, but just didn't have the patience to wait in lines and answer stupid questions. I set up in the warehouse Lena and I had been kept in. I saw no evidence of DEO agents watching the place and it was out of the way. Perfect.

The first practice dummy I went after didn't last long. I tore it apart. My phone went off a couple times as I tried out other abilities I hadn't known I had, but I ignored it. I wanted nothing to do with them. Any of them. Not anymore. Each time a new text came in, something got hit harder. The heat vision caught me off guard though. A wall got a little scorched instead. I stopped when I glanced out a window and saw that the sun had set. I moved my hair out of my face, suddenly exhausted. Being only half Kryptonian had its limits apparently. I made my way to a bus stop, not quite confident enough in my ability to fly. But I would practice. Now that I knew who I was, I wasn’t going to let it go to waste.


	12. Everything Is Normal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sydney knows. She knows what her so called friends took away from her. And she is not happy about it. And she has powers, so many more lowers than she thought she’d have access to. And no one is going to stop her from helping people in the city. Not Supergirl, not Lena, not the DEO. Nothing can stop her right now.

‘Not coming into work today Lena. Using up my vacation now. I know it’s only been a few months since I started, but there’s only a month left in the year. I’m using the days I have. I’ll come in when I come in.’ I read the email a couple times before sending it. I wanted nothing to do with her right now, even though I’d eventually have to go back. I couldn’t afford to live in the city if I kept skipping out. But I was good for at least another week. I checked the time, adjusted my hair, and headed out the door. Kat was on her way and I wasn’t going to make her wait for me.

’Have I mentioned how much I like your new look? Because I like it. A lot."

"I think you mentioned it a couple times. But I'm glad someone appreciates it." I reached over, pulling one of her hands of the steering wheel.

"You really need to stop doing that. I need both hands to drive through this." she pulled it back, but smiled. I rolled down my window, listening to the city around us. I'd been helping out occasionally and the super hearing came in handy, "Really? You know that the wind messes with my hair more than yours and then I can't see. And then we hit another car. Or a pole. Or a person."

"I wouldn't let that happen. We'd be fine."

"I'm glad you have faith in your ability to control my driving and the skills of others." I shrugged, smiling a little. She had no idea about my abilities. She drove us to a restaurant neither of us had been to before, but had heard good things about. It wasn't too bad. Service wasn't too great, but I tried not to let it bother me too much. I was enjoying the date too much.

"I know it's November and cold out, but want to walk around for a little bit?"

"Of crouse. Let's go." We'd gone maybe a block when I realized I had forgotten my wallet back at the table, "Shit. I gotta run back really fast. Forgot my wallet."

"Alright. I think I'm going to head back to the car and wait for you there? It's a little colder than I was anticipating."

"Sure. I'll catch up with you in just a minute." I watched her start walking for a minute before turning around and heading back.

"Hey there, I was just in here a little bit ago and left my wallet at our table."

"Ms. Fox correct? We just looked at the name on the ID." the hostess pulled it out from under the menus.

"Yup. Thanks." I checked it when I got outside. No need to make it look like I didn't trust anyone, even though I really didn't. But everything was where I had left it, all four dollars and coupon for a pizza. I headed in the direction of the car, feeling the chill now. I saw Kat's coat and sped up a little bit. Nothing that anyone would notice, but enough to catch up.

"Do you have superspeed or something? Because no one normal walks that fast."

"That's a secret." I looped my arm through hers, matching her pace now.

"Good evening ladies. Looking a little cold there. Need some company?" I rolled my eyes at the guy across the street shouting at us.

"Downside of the big city. Harder to avoid them." Kat said quietly, speeding up just a little.

"No kidding. But hey, just think, without the creeps, you wouldn't have sat next to me on the bus."

"This is very true."

"Come on girls! No need to ignore me! Just being friendly." the guy crossed the street, starting to come up behind us. I slowed down a little, putting myself between him and Kat.

"It's impolite to ignore people ladies. Come on. I thought National City was the nicest big city." another one came out of nowhere, this time in front of us. Kat came to a complete stop and I could hear her heart rate speeding up.

"Sorry about that. It's been a long day and we're just a little tired. Don't mean to be rude."

"We get it. It's tough being a pretty girl sometimes. Maybe you'd like to join us for a drink to relax?"

"Not today boys." I made sure to emphasize that. I wasn't dealing with this now. They noticed and frowned.

"Now, now. Your friend isn't very nice is she?" the second guy stepped closer and reached over to move a bit of Kat's hair out of her face. His hand stopped inches away from her, his wrist in my hand.

"Oh I'm plenty nice. Now beat it. If you want to be able to harass someone else without a broken wrist, I'd go now." I squeezed a little bit harder, making him squirm before letting go. He backed up a couple steps, confused.

"What the hell? You weren't there a second ago."

"You're not wrong. Well done. Now leave. Before I lose my temper."

"Syd, it's okay. We can just walk away." Kat gently grabbed my hand and started to pull me away.

"Yeah, that's right you crazy bitch. Walk away." I sighed, almost feeling bad for the guys. I pulled my hand free, turned around, and punched the one closest to me. I didn't hold back and felt his nose crack under my fist. He shouted in pain and stumbled back, blood seeping from between his fingers.

"Now you've done it." the other guy pulled a knife out lunging at me.

"You think this is the first time someone has tried to stab me? You poor, pathetic, outmatched boy. Alien abductors tried on multiple occasions and failed. You don't stand a chance. Not now that I know what I do." I dodged the swipe easily, ducking under his arm and slamming him to the ground, "I would recommend you stop hassling women going about their business in the city. Especially when they want nothing to do with you." I admired him for standing back and attempting to hit me, but I didn't let it go to his head.

"You think your so tough? Huh? Like you're Supergirl or something?" I didn't even feel the hit he managed to land.

"Not even close. I'm someone else. I don't take things away from people. Don't lie or hide behind a cape. Supergirl and her friends aren't the heroes everyone believes they are." I hit him one more time, knocking him to the ground. All the anger I still felt towards them all was boiling over and I pulled my foot back to kick him, but a hand on my shoulder pulled me back.

"Sydney stop. They're not going to go near anyone else. Come on, I want to go home." I turned, barely breathing hard. I don't know what she saw, but something spooked her. But she didn't move away.

"Alright. I guess I made my point. Right?" I asked the one with the broken nose. He nodded, pulling his slightly dazed friend off the ground, "Super." Kat pulled me away, walking fast. She didn't say anything, just pulled me after her. We were halfway back to my place before she said anything.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Really? You're going to say nothing happened? I just watched you take down two guys way bigger than you, without breaking a sweat. You threw the one around like he was a toy."

"If I didn't do it, someone else would have I'm sure. They'll be fine." I waved it off.

"Fine? Really?" she frowned, speeding just a little bit.

"Yes, really. Broken bones heal just fine. Especially noses. They could've hurt you. I wasn't going to let that happen."

"I would have been fine. If you had given me a second, I would have had my pepper spray out and the police called. But no, you had to take matters into your own hands."

"Someone has to! Supergirl can't always be trusted to do what's right She's not all knowing and her pals at the DEO aren't all that trustworthy either. They only want to help themselves."

"How can you possibly know that? You moved to National City because of Supergirl. You dressed up as her two weeks ago! What the hell happened between Halloween and now?" she parked at my building, waiting.

"I figured out that when you let a Luthor into your life, things get fucked up. Text me when you get home." I didn't wait for her to say anything and got out. I slammed my door, angry all over again. Every angry, awful thought I could think of for Kara, Lena, Alex, and everyone else was coming to the surface. I grabbed my coat, climbed out onto the balcony, and took off. I still wasn't entirely sure where these abilities had come from, but I was glad they had shown up. Flying was every bit of fun as I had dreamt it would be. It was a great way to blow off steam. I angled myself up, wanting to see how high I could get this time. I'd been pushing it more and more each day. I had to keep turning back when it got hard to breath. My goal was to get past the atmosphere, just a little bit. Just wasn't there quite yet. I flew back down feeling a little better. I checked my phone when I got back, but Kat hadn't texted me. I wasn't too surprised though. But I wasn't that worried. She was upset with me and needed some time to realize I had been right.

But I didn't hear anything from her for the next few days. She didn't respond to my messages and ignored my phone calls. And the more radio silence I received, the more pissed off I got. I started taking the anger out on petty criminals. My recent wardrobe overhaul had given me plenty of options for a 'disguise'. The cape from Halloween went surprisingly well with a leather jacket and mask. The jackasses I went after really had no idea what hit them. The creeps that hit on women in the middle of the night. The losers that catcalled at strangers walking down the street. They could certainly take a hit, but not one of them stood a chance against me. It was almost two weeks after the incident when someone finally decided I'd done enough. I was back home after an afternoon of patrolling when someone knocked on my door. I wasn't expecting anyone and was maybe a little paranoid. I grabbed a towel and slowly opened the door. Kara Danvers was standing there, looking a little uncomfortable.

"What?" I dried my hands, getting under my fingernails. She glanced down, seeing the blood I'd missed. She didn't say anything about it.

"Hi. I'm sorry I didn't come to see you sooner. But things have been a little insane with the DEO and some friends from Earth-1. But we really need to talk."

"I really don't think so. I have nothing to say to you. Or Alex or Lena. Nothing nice at least."

"And I get that. I do. We've all been there." I laughed and walked back inside. She followed.

"Sure. You've all been betrayed by the people closest to you."

"Believe it or not, we have. All of us. I learned that my parents weren't as perfect as I had thought, they did terrible things. Alex's father worked with Cadmus for a decade and we still don't actually know what happened to him. Nia hasn't spoken to her sister because of something she said when their mother died. J'onn's brother helped with the eradication of the green Martians. And Lena is well, Lena Luthor. You know enough about her family to see where that goes. We've all been hurt by the people we care about. And we know we messed up with you. We did what we thought was right. To protect you from our lives."

"That wasn't your decision to make! I was fine with being in 'danger'. It meant I was part of something at least. Do you know how long it had been since I had anything like that? A decade Kara. For the first time in ten years, I had a," I hesitated.

"A family?"

"I don't know. I don't really remember what it feels like to have that. But I thought there was something there at least. I guess I was wrong right? Because you would never do this to your family." she laughed a little, shaking her head.

"You have no idea the lengths we go have all gone to, to protect the people we care about. Please don't think this was extreme. Really. We all wanted to keep having you around, Jeremiah really loved when you watched him, but we just couldn't do it. It wasn't fair to you."

"No. What wasn't fair was taking away part of who I was. I could probably have lived without knowing your secret. That would've been fine. But you took away more than that. I could've learned so much about my Kryptonian side! I've always wanted to know about where I came from. I just thought it was Germany or something."

"And I do regret that the most. Really. I was so excited to have someone to teach all this too. Kal was already grown up and learned the important things by the time I got here, so I couldn't really show it all to him. I've been trying to figure out a way to give that part back to you, without putting you in danger again. I just haven't had a decent way to do it yet."

”Then say screw it. Tell me who I am! When Lena was drunkenly ranting about how Supergirl couldn’t be trusted, I told her she was wrong. I didn’t even know you then and I defended you! Because I believed in that stupid S and everything it stood for. Hope, help, and compassion for all right? Where was that compassion when I woke up in a hospital bed with no idea of what happened? Huh?”

”You’re right. We crossed a line that we weren’t sure could be uncrossed. But I think you’ve crossed a line too. You have to see that right? Don’t think we haven’t noticed your new hobby.”

”Then why not stop me? Oh wait, it’s because I’m not the bad guy. I’m just getting the ones not important enough for you all. Why did you come here Kara? Because I’m not going to back down just because you ask me to.”

”I came to check on you. We’re all worried. You’re not acting like yourself and we thing we figured out why.”

”Oh wait, don’t tell me. It’s something alien right? Something beyond my power that’s making me lash out?”

”Actually, yes. It’s happened to me before, years ago. Not really something we thought we had to worry about again.”

”I don’t care what you think it is. I’m fine. I’ve embraced who I am, all of it, and am finally doing something worthwhile. If that was all you came here to say, you can leave. Either through the front door or the window. I don’t really care. But I’m going to take a nap. Long morning and all that.” She watched me walk around for a minute before standing up.

”You want to know why I came down here now? Because someone you care about came to talk to Lena the other day. If you’d been going to work, you’d know that. But someone is worried about you. Try and remember that the next time you hit someone in the face.” She didn’t say anything else and left. I was confused now. I didn’t know anyone in the city. Not well enough for them to be ‘worried’ about me anyways. I tossed the towel onto the counter when it hit me. I had exactly one person in this giant city who cared about me even a little bit. Kat. Of course. No wonder she'd been avoiding me. I found my phone and called her, before remembering it was a week day and she was at school.

"Shit, forgot you're still molding young minds. Um, I really need to talk to you. It's about what's been going on, with me. I'm going to be in the park by L-Corp. Please come meet me later." I hung up, frustrated. I grabbed a jacket and headed out the door. "Stupid Kryptonian and all her human pals. Take away everything and then get upset with me when I act like anyone else would. That whole time they kept telling me it was normal to react. Liars." I nodded at the bus driver and sat in the very back. No one bothered me there. I got off a few stops early and walked the rest of the way to the park. No chance of running into Lena that way. I picked a random bench and made myself comfortable. Had a few hours to spare and I didn't mind the chill that came with winter. Some of the trees had been decorated for the holidays. A bunch of people were walking around, and I remembered that most of the universities were on break already. Kat only had a few more days to go herself.

"I like your earrings." I had noticed the girl sit on the other end of the bench, but hadn't paid her any mind.

"Thanks. I'm pretty fond of them too. On break from school?" she was wearing a National City University sweatshirt and hat.

"I am. Always make a point to come here at least once when I'm home. It's one of my favorite places. The lights and decorations are some of the best in the city."

"I haven't seen much yet, but they are pretty spectacular." But I was barely looking at the decorations. It's not like anything was lit up yet anyways. And she noticed.

"So are you new to National City? I know it's a big place, but everyone knows that these lights are the best there are." she scooted a little closer.

"I am sort of new. I've been here since the beginning of August. Huh. Doesn't feel like it's been that long." I added as an afterthought. It had been almost six months since I'd moved here. And so much had happened. But that was neither here or now. The pretty girl with the red nose was.

"And has anyone offered to show you around? I mean, you can't have seen all the city has to offer in six measly months."

"I've seen a bit. But I have a feeling you've got some places in mind?"

"Ahem." I turned my head, wondering who was interrupting us. Kat, "Don't mind me."

"Hey Kat. See you got my message. Cool. I gotta go. Nice to meet you." I waved to the girl and we walked away. Kat didn't say anything until we were well out of sight. She stopped and pulled me out of the middle of the path.

"What was that?"

"That? That was nothing. Just killing some time while I waited for you. I wasn't going to do anything."

"You sure? Because it looked like you were about to start making out with some random girl in the park."

"It did not. We weren't even that close to each other." I grabbed her hands and pulled her towards me to emphasize my point.

"We've got different definitions of 'close'. Sydney, what is going on with you? You've been acting off since Halloween and it's only gotten worse. You said you had something to tell me right?" she pulled back, eyeing me warily.

"I did, yeah. I've been keeping something from you lately. Something sort of important about myself."

"Is whatever it is the reason you've turned into a totally different person?"

"Sure. It could be."

"Sydney, come on, don't act like this is okay. I'm worried about you."

"And that's why you went and talked about me to my boss right?" this was quickly going off track.

"It is, yes. I know you don't really have anyone else in the city and Ms. Luthor said she had noticed the changes as well. And that you hadn't been going into work. At all. Is that true?"

"It is. The long nights were getting to me and I needed a break. It's not that unheard of." I shrugged, not sure why it was an issue.

"Sydney, this is serious. I thought you loved your job. And Lena Luthor was one of your heroes right?"

"She was. Until I found out she's just like her scheming brother. The Luthor name was exactly what I should have known it was."

"That's not true and you know it."

"Why are you so concerned about how things are going at work for me? It's not your job to check up on me."

"I was worried about my girlfriend. Why is that such a bad thing?"

"Because it's a little clingy honestly. I need some space occasionally."

"Fine. Space I can do. If you get your act figured out, maybe call me. We'll see if I pick up. Wouldn't want to be too clingy." she readjusted her bag and stormed off. I could have easily caught up with her, but wasn't going to. Let her walk away. I'd be fine, if the bench had been any indication. But I was angry. I was almost always angry now, but this was something else. Lena had gotten involved where she wasn't wanted. I left the park and headed to the building.

"Oh, Ms. Fox. Glad you're feeling better. Want me to let Ms. Luthor know you're here?"

"I'm good. I already texted her that I was here." Total lie, but he didn't need to know that.

"Alright. See you later." I hit the button, noticing that crack I'd made before still hadn't actually been fixed. Clearly no one had noticed yet. There was no guard posted today, though that made sense. Clearly with the alien threat taken care of, Lena didn't need the extra protection. I glanced at the calendar on my desk. No meeting today. Perfect. I knocked once, didn't wait for a response, and let myself in.

"Sorry to barge in Ms. Luthor, but I really need to talk to you about interfering with my life." she was at her desk, talking to Supergirl, "Oh good. You're here too. That works out perfectly. Maybe I should take a picture and send it to the Inquisitor over in Metropolis. They usually cover your cousin, but I'm sure they'd love to put their personal spin on this."

"Sydney. What brings you here today? Because I have a feeling it's not your job."

"Ha ha. You're hilarious. But not wrong Ms. Genius. Why are you talking about me behind my back to Kat? What gave you right?"

"As someone who cares about your well being, I think I had every right. She was worried about you and I wasn't going to lie to her."

"Why not? You lie about everything else. Just add me to the list of lies. It'd be easy." Kara had backed up, watching me carefully. I noticed her glance at my ears for some reason.

"Sydney, calm down. We know what's wrong."

"What's wrong is that you all seem to think you know what is best for me! You don't. And seriously Kara, stop staring at my head. It's weird."

"Sydney, let us explain. You've been exposed to red kryptonite."

"I don't care! Red, green, blue, I don't give a damn about kryptonite. I feel fine. Better than fine actually."

"Alright, you know what, we're going to try a different tactic. You want to be angry with us, fine. Hit me." Kara stepped around the desk, waiting.

"Really? You want me to hit you? Just like that?"

"Yup. You've got some issues to work through, and sometimes hitting things helps. Just leave Lena alone. I'll make it even more appealing to you. If you beat me, we will leave you alone. Won't interfere with your vigilantism."

"Pinky promise?" I held up my hand, but she didn't move, "Okay cool. I wouldn't believe it anyways." I didn't hesitate and charged at her. I think she'd been anticipating an attack of some sort because we wound up going onto the balcony instead of into a wall. She wasn't holding back this time. I'd gotten used to fighting random creeps and she was quite a bit faster than any of them.

"Sydney, please. We just want to help you. We're sorry for what we did. You have to know that, right?"

"All I know is that you guys took something from me. And I somehow got it back. And I'm not going to let you take it away again."

"I get that. But if you keep going like this, I've got nothing to worry about." she took off and hovered just off the balcony.

"You want to show off, cool. I learned some tricks too." I jumped over the railing, hitting her with heat vision. It took her by surprise, but she recovered quickly, flying off, "Really?" I took off after her, not wanting to waste this chance.

"Sydney, stand down. We're here to help you." J'onn came out of nowhere, cutting me off.

"And I don't want your help. I'm fine on my own."

"Sure, keep telling yourself that as you go on lone rampages through the alleys of the city. Sorry about this, but everything will make sense when you wake up." I turned around, and saw Kara pointing a weird ass gun at me. I didn't have a chance to react before she pulled the trigger.

"Really?" it knocked me back and I felt myself falling. I was caught before I got far, but passed out before I could try and worm my way free.


	13. Remember Who You Are

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red Kryptonite comes with a wicked hangover. And guilt. So much guilt. Sydney has so many things to fix. Once she's allowed to leave the DEO. She went too far, and she knows it.

"Oh God. That was bad. So, so, so bad. I didn't hurt you guys did I?" I came to in the med bay, yellow sun lamps shining happily on me. I had a killer headache. And a mountain of guilt resting comfortably on my chest.

"You didn't hurt us. And no one you went after was seriously hurt." Alex was the only one around. Couldn't blame everyone else for avoiding me.

"Awesome. Um, what, um, what happened? I don't remember a lot." I sat up, trying not to start tearing up. No one was going to pity me. Not after what I'd done.

"Red kryptonite. It's been years since we encountered it. We didn’t even know there was still any out in the world.”

”Red kryptonite?”

”Yeah. It got to Kara once. Maxwell Lord thought he could play around with things he didn’t understand. Green messes with you guys physically. Red alters your brains.”

”I’m so sorry Alex. I didn’t mean anything I said to any of you. None of it.”

”You don’t have to lie. There was some truth to it all. Truth we can all work through, once you’re back on your feet.” She checked something on the screens, writing something down.

”Alex, it was bad. So bad. I hated you. All of you. For what you did. I didn’t even know I could feel that.” I hastily rubbed my arm over my face. Tears weren’t going to win me anything. She sighed, put down her clipboard, and came over to me.

”It was not your fault Sydney. Not entirely. We don’t blame you, at all. Nothing was broken that can’t be fixed.” She rested a reassuring hand on my shoulder, trying to make me feel better. And the rest of what I’d done hit me.

”Oh no. No, you don’t know what else I did. You guys might forgive me, but Kat. I don't know if I can fix what I did." Everything I'd said to her and the way I'd acted for the past two months. And the look she'd given me in the park before she walked away. The hurt I'd been too selfish to see then was evident, "Alex, I don't know if I can fix it." I lost the battle with my emotions and the tears flowed freely. Alex surprised me with a hug. It wasn't something I was used to. But she was pretty damn good at it.

"If Kat cares about you as much as I think she does, you're going to get her back."

"How do you know? You guys didn't see how I treated her."

"No. But we know that she cared enough to come to Lena. Give it a couple days, then call her. You'll see." I hadn't heard Kara come in, and that only made me feel worse.

"Kara, I am so sorry. So, so, so, sorry. For what I said. And the heat vision."

"Yeah, that one caught me by surprise. Didn't know you had that ability."

"I’m not sure if I could do it again though. I think it was more the stupid red kryptonite then it was me.”

”It’s possible. Same thing happened with Kal when he was a teenager I guess. He could do things under the influence of red k that he couldn't do without it.”

”Did you guys find it all? There’s not going to be any at home to screw me over again?”

”We did. Brainy scanned the city and we discreetly switched out the source. Earrings and some other jewelry that a bunch of teachers had.”

”The Halloween party. They were in the little gift bags.” I felt my ears, realizing that they were bare, “I noticed it that first night too. I felt it. But I ignored it.”

”Again, not your fault. We had no way of knowing there was any of it out there. Now, if you’re feeling up for it, Nia texted me a little bit ago that everyone was here.”

”Oh. Um, I guess I can talk to them. If they’ll let me. Can you give me like five minutes?”

”Of course. We’ll be in the conference room.”

”Great.” They both walker out, glancing back at me before closing the door. I pulled out my phone and stared at it. My background stared back at me. We’d taken a picture on Halloween and I had changed it shortly after. Supergirl and Indiana Jones. It had been the first time I’d felt normal in the city. And I had ruined it.

_I’m sorry._ I sent the text before I could chicken out. I didn’t expect any sort of response, but I had to say it. And I would keep saying it. I put it away and went to find everyone. The agents I passed stared, looking a little on edge. I let myself into the room with the blinds drawn. Everyone was there, talking amongst each other. They all got quiet when I shut the door.

"Uh, hi. Sorry to interrupt."

"We're so glad you're okay." Nia was the first one up, giving me a hug.

"Me too. Now that I know what was actually wrong. I am sorry you guys had to deal with it though. Really. The last two months can't have been easy."

"It wasn't your fault Sydney. And it seems we got lucky. You could have done more damage than any of us thought, but you didn't." J'onn was next.

"I'm sure if I'd been given more time I would have gotten there. And I'm sorry. Just insanely sorry. I know you're all going to keep telling me it wasn't my fault, and sure, that's sort of true, but everything I did, I knew what I was doing. I knew what I was saying and I just didn't care. I hated you, and I wanted you to know it. Every awful thing I'd thought about you guys, every petty thought, I said it all. And I can't say I didn't mean any of it. I just didn't intend for you all to know that."

"Sydney, we know. I went all rage monster on Alex when I got hit with the stuff. It's nasty."

"And we are sorry as well."

"For what? You guys didn't turn into Darth Vader because of a stupid rock."

"We're sorry we didn't realize something was seriously wrong sooner. You're one of us and we should have seen it."

"You mean while you covertly watched me from a distance after you wiped my memory? Shit. I didn't mean it like that you guys." maybe it wasn't all out of my system yet.

"We know. Let's say that we give the apologies a rest, just for tonight? We've all screwed up recently. Until tomorrow, can we just be happy that you're back?"

"If that's what you guys want."

"Guys, I hate to be the realist here, but I think Sydney might just want to go home. Kara, you were only under the influence of red kryptonite for a few days, and you felt awful. It's been weeks." it was the first thing Lena had said. She hadn't really looked at me yet, and I couldn't blame her. And she wasn't wrong. I just hadn't wanted to say it. Not after all the things I'd already said.

"Of course, of course you're right Lena. Sydney, if you want to go home, you are more than welcome to. We don't want to make this any worse for you."

"Um, yeah. I didn't want to be rude, but home sounds great. I know I need to make up for things I did, but I'm tired."

"That's absolutely fine. Did you need a ride?"

"No. No, don't worry about it. Uh, the fresh air will do me some good. Ms. Luthor, if you still want me, I'll see you Monday morning." No one tried to stop me as I walked out. I hurried to the elevators, not wanting to give anyone a chance to catch up. I sort of forgot about the super speed though. One second I was in the elevator alone, waiting for the doors to close, and the next, Kara was beside me just as we started going down.

"Kara, I'm sorry. I just really don't have it in me to pretend like nothing happened. I can't."

"I know. And I get understand. I've been where you are now. And it sucks. Probably one of the worst feelings on this, or any, world."

"You know, if you're trying to make me feel better, you're doing a terrible job. Thought you were good at this kind of thing."

"I'm usually pretty good at it. But sometimes, being hopeful and happy is hard. Sometimes, you just have to feel whatever it is. Let it run it's course. They'll all try and tell you that it's fine and you'll bounce back, but they don't quite get what it feels like. To have everything you are be flipped on it's head. When I 'fell', it took a couple weeks for the people of the city to trust me again. And then Myriad happened, and the whole thing was basically swept under the rug. No one ever mentioned it again. But that's not what we're talking about. I just wanted to make sure you know that if you ever want to talk about it, with someone who actually gets it, you've got my number."

"Thank you Kara. I'll remember that." she held the elevator door open, but didn't follow me out. I shivered a little. I think I'd abandoned my jacket in Lena's office when I attacked Supergirl. I sat down on the bus and leaned back. I'd attacked Kara. Full on used my superpowers on her. Simply because I could. I opened my eyes when we stopped. I had unconsciously been counting them and knew exactly where we were. I couldn't help watching the door. And seriously considered bailing out one of the emergency exits when I saw her. I settled for sinking further down in my seat, hoping she didn't see me. It didn't work. Kat looked right at me. And walked right past me to sit in the back. I thought about getting up and just walking the rest of the way home, but we were already moving, the other passengers seated as well. It took every ounce of self control to not turn around. I was going to give her space. But holy hell, was it hard. I watched the other people on their way home in the late hours of the night. I recognized a few from other late nights at the DEO.

"Seems a little too cold out there for someone to not have a coat." the driver commented when we finally got to my stop.

"I think it'll help me clear my head. Thanks." I knew I hadn't been awful to her in the last months, but I hadn't been super polite either. I couldn't help standing at the stop and watching the bus pull away. Kat didn't look up from her book. I sighed and slowly walked inside. My apartment was a mess. Of course it was. I hadn't been too concerned about cleanliness when I was beating up the common douches. I'd clean up after I slept. That was what I needed most. A solid nights sleep. A chance to reset. Easy enough.

So, naturally, I couldn't fall asleep. My pillow was too flat, bedroom too quiet. Fine. So be it. Let the cleaning begin. I started in the living room and kitchen. So many dirty dishes needed scrubbed. The rest of the weekend was just more of the same. Cleaning everything I'd been neglecting. My closet was another matter. I'd changed my look drastically and had to dig in the back it to find things I was comfortable in. I'd just have to find a place to donate everything else to. After I replaced everything I had apparently gotten rid of. Monday morning came way too soon. I put on a sweater and headed out, since I hadn't heard anything from Lena. I set my phone at my desk, checking the calendar. There was one meeting scheduled in the afternoon, but that was it. Maybe with Christmas approaching, people were trying to keep things simple. I sat down, unlocking my computer. At least that password hadn't been messed with. Had to be a good sign. I was looking at prices for flights when I heard her door open.

"Sydney, could I talk to you please?"

"Of course Ms. Luthor." I sort of felt like I had lost first name privileges'. At least until she said otherwise. I closed the browser and followed her into her office. I sat across from her, feeling like I'd been called to the principal's office.

"It looks like you are feeling better. More yourself?"

"Um, yeah. I am."

"Good. Because that is who I want sticking around. I remember when I saw the news all those years ago when Supergirl went on a rampage. And how Kara explained just how severely red kryptonite affects your kind. And how there don't seem to be any lasting side effects."

"So far, it doesn't seem like it." Unless you called the guilt I still felt as a side effect, but I don't think she wanted to hear that, "And, before you keep going, I need to apologize. For everything. The others only saw glimpse of how I was acting. You got the full force of it, more than once. And I said some things. Some really awful things that I didn't really mean, at all. And everyone is going to keep telling me that it wasn't my fault, but that doesn't excuse any of it. You are one of my heroes and, I know that your trust is something that is damn near impossible to earn and I messed it up. I just, I'm so sorry." I finished in a rush before I could start repeating myself.

"Sydney, please stop acting like I'm going to fire you. I'm not. But you're not wrong. Your fault or not, lines were crossed. And as much as everyone else wants to act like these last two months didn't happen, they did. It's going to take time to fix it. But I do want to try and fix it."

"Really? Because I don't want to ask you to do anything that's not worth it. I wouldn't blame you for wanting to keep things professional from now on."

"Let's take it one day at a time. I'm sure we can get back to how things were before. I've forgiven Kara for the whole Supergirl secret and that was much worse than this."

"If you say so. I'm glad you think I'm worth it."

"Of course you are. You're still part of the family. It's sort of a 'for life' thing."

"Well that's a relief. I don't think I could handle making a bunch of friends again."

"I understand that. Making friends is hard. But it's worth it." She smiled a little bit before sending me back out. I sat back at my desk and the rest of the day went by quickly. As did the next few weeks. I did my best to not tiptoe around Lena or anyone else when they came to visit. I still felt awful for what I had done.

"Sydney, what are your plans for Christmas? I noticed that you have a couple extra days requested off."

"Oh, yeah. I hope that's alright. I'm going back to the lovely Midwest for a few days. I think I need some distance between me and the city. Just for a couple days."

"It's absolutely fine. Take the days you need. Kelly was just wondering if you'd be able to watch Jeremiah on Christmas Day. She wants to surprise Alex with something."

"Oh. Um, yeah, probably. I'm flying back in that afternoon. I can text her and find out if that works."

"You're not even staying there for Christmas? Isn't that why you're going? To be home?"

"If it still felt like home, yeah. But it hasn't been home in years. But it's familiar. And calm. And my ex can't ignore me from the back of the bus." Kat still hadn't spoken to me or responded to the couple texts I'd sent. I'd been trying my best to not go overboard, but it was hard. Lena had noticed that I was staying later, but hadn't said anything about it.

"Perfect. I'll let her know. And I hope your trip goes well."

"Thanks. I guess I'll see you when I get back."


	14. There's No Place Like Home (Wherever That May Be)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Christmas time. Almost a whole new year. And Sydney is miserable. The Red Kryptonite messed everything up. Sure, she's been allowed back in with the Super Friends, but it's different. No one has really brought it up, but it's there. And Kat hasn't spoken to her in weeks. So, naturally, she's doing the adult thing and running away for a couple days. Maybe the simple life of the Midwest will help make things better.

"Alright, we've got you in room 207. I'm sorry your flight got delayed so much."

"Yup. Thanks. Me too." I muttered. First something had been wrong with the plane. Then they'd had to make an emergency landing for some woman going into labor. Who gets on a plane when you're that pregnant? It was ridiculous. Then weather had delayed them for a couple more hours. She was supposed to have checked in six hours ago, at a normal hour. Now it was almost two in the morning, and I was exhausted. Not off to the best start. I went up to my room and tossed my backpack onto the floor. I changed into my pajamas and fell asleep almost right away. Long trips on airplanes did that to a person.

The next morning I bundled up in my coat and other winter gear and went out for a walk down memory lane. Literally. Almost everything I passed was familiar. It had only been six months after all. I even recognized most of the people I passed. Not that any of them recognized me. Why would they after all. I had just been here because I had nowhere else to be. I hadn't missed the cold though. National City had been nice and toasty when I left and the wind was brutal on my face. I stepped inside one of the small coffee shops for a minute.

"Is that Sydney Fox stepping in my doorway?" I glanced around, surprised.

"Max? Max Bauman? What are you doing here? I thought you left this place as soon as you could." She surprised me with a hug. We hadn't spoken in years, but she had been my only friend here during school.

"I did. Went away to school for four years. Explored the country. Got bored. Came back here and started a coffee shop. Business is booming as you can see." She wasn't wrong. The place was packed.

"This place is yours? That's incredible. It wasn't here when I left."

"Yeah, it's still new. But I know what I'm doing. Come on, sit down. Let's catch up. Someone mentioned that you'd moved to National City! I thought that was insane, but there was no sign of you here. Plus, it's only going to get windier out there. Might as well warm up first."

"I suppose you're not wrong." she quickly cleared off a table, got a couple drinks, and took a seat, "So, what do you want to know?"

"All of it of course. National City! That's insane. I never would have thought you would go there. Did you even plan any of it out?"

"Not even a little bit." And I proceeded to tell her how things had been going for the last six months, excluding most of the Super details.

"So, wait, you work for Lena Luthor? Really? And you've met Supergirl?"

"Yes and yes. But only a couple times. In passing while she talked to Lena."

"That's insane. Is she as intimidating in person as she looks during her press conferences?"

"Not at all." I couldn't help laughing, "She puts on the serious face for those kinds of things. She's actually really nice."

"I'm sure she is. Now, what about your social life? You've been there for six months. You can't tell me that you've been in the big city for six months and haven't made any friends." it wasn't hard to hear the double meaning there. I smiled into my mug.

"Real subtle. Yes, I made a friend. But it's over now. I really messed it up."

"Wait, really? No offense, but I was joking."

"No offense taken. I don't blame you for it. Making friends was never my forte. But it happened. Somehow, it happened. And I ruined it."

"Well I'm sure whatever it is you did, he'll forgive you. How long has it been since it ended?"

"Almost a month. It's been almost a month since she talked to me. Made Thanksgiving even more depressing than usual." It only took Max an extra second or so to respond to that.

"Okay. So that's new. But I'm sure since you've given her space and some time, you can get it figured out."

"Glad someone thinks so. My hopes are getting smaller and smaller over here. But that's not the here or now. What about you? What places did you visit? National City is really all I've seen."

"Uh huh, sure. We'll just skip over the deep conversation friends are supposed to have. But I'll go along with it. So, I went to school in Metropolis. Big change. Like, huge. But you know all about living in a city with a Super. It's awesome, but terrifying somehow. Like, you never know if some criminal is going to hijack your train or rob your bank, but you know you'll be okay." She talked about her exploits over the last few years, and it was nice. I'd forgotten what it was like to just sit down and talk with a friend.

"How long are you in town for?"

"Just a couple days. My flight back leaves Christmas morning."

"Really? That's a strange time to fly back."

"It was the cheapest way to get myself bumped up to first class and be fancy for a couple hours. Plus I've gotta babysit. A friend of Lena's needs a night out."

"Well that's good. Kids love you. That was your main source of income in school. You babysat like half of our teacher's kids. Got all sorts of extensions on assignments."

"That happened like twice. And only because I had to handle a minor invasion of lice."

"All three of those kids had little creepy crawlies on their heads. You fought an army." we jumped a little when something crashed behind the counter, "Shit. I gotta go deal with that. It was great to see you again. Stop in again before you leave, okay?"

"Of course. Thanks for the coffee. Really. It was perfect." She waved and went over to help the person who'd dropped some coffee pots. I finished my drink, put my gloves back on, and went back out into the wind. That had taken up a good chunk of the morning. I hadn't really had much of plan for most of the day. Just one thing that I always made sure to do once a year. I called for a ride and passed the fifteen minute drive on my phone. I'd had a message for Kat saved for weeks now, but hadn't sent it. I didn't even know if anything I said would change her mind about me.

"Need me to stick around so you've got a ride back into town?"

"Nah. I'm usually here for awhile. Thanks though." I put my phone away, made sure to grab my bag, and got out. It had started snowing on the drive over. Just enough for it to stick on the ground. My footprints were the only ones around. It didn't take long to find what I was looking for. It didn't exactly move.

"Hey guys. Merry Christmas." I sat down, wiping the snow off their names, "So, a lot has happened since our last little chat. I did it. I went to National City, just like I said I would. It didn't quite go exactly as I thought it would though. I met Supergirl. I _know_ Supergirl and Lena Luthor. And all of their friends. I'm one of them. Can you believe it? Because I certainly can't." A bird chirped in the nearby trees. I glanced around, making sure I was still alone. Didn't need to be blabbing out secrets for any random person to hear.

"But it got messed up you guys. Did you know Red Kryptonite was a thing Dad? Did you look into whatever you could about Kryptonians in your spare time when I was at school?" I stared at their names, not wanting to be upset with them, but it couldn't be helped, "Why didn't you tell me? About any of it?" I pulled out one of his journals, opening it to a page I'd read multiple times in the last few days. "'Sydney turned two today. Two years since this little bundle of Krypton fell in my lap. There's not a day that doesn't go by that I don't see her mother in her though. But it's been two years since I heard from her. Kala Dra-Zor is not coming back. And I think I've accepted that. There's also Meredith to consider. She's become important to me and she loves Sydney. It's time to move on.' I've had this book in with my stuff for ten years and I never looked through it. The truth of who I am has been here the entire time. But you never told me. Never even hinted at it. Nothing. Why?" I would have been seriously concerned if I got any sort of response. I turned to a different page, closer to the beginning. He had written about his first date with Kala. She hadn't hid what she was from him, not even in the beginning. He had known from the first night that she was Kryptonian. And he hadn't cared.

"I'm sorry you're not here. I'm sorry I wanted to go to that stupid exhibit. But I'm really sorry that you didn't think you could tell me the truth. I wish you would have done it when I was older." I continued talking to them for a couple more hours. Told them about life in National City, Lena and Kara, and everything I could think of about Kat, "I think you guys would have liked her. I just hope I can fix it." I sighed, all sorts of depressed again. The holidays had never been a cheerful time, and this year was just way worse. I stood up slowly, one of my feet asleep from sitting for so long, "See you guys later." I couldn't feel my nose by the time the car got here.

"Enjoying the holiday season?"

"It's been better. But I'm sure it could be worse. You?"

"Not so bad. Got a family of my own for the first time. It's surreal."

"Well that's exciting. Good for you."

"I hope things look up for you soon."

"Thanks." I went back to my room, bundling up in a few blankets. I spent the next day and a half mostly in the hotel. It was too damn cold out to wander around aimlessly. I stopped by to say goodbye to Max before heading home.

"It was so nice to see you again Sydney. It's been way too long and we should really try and keep in touch. I don't want it to be another six years before I find out if things get fixed with your girl. Text me once in a while, okay?" She put her number in my phone and handed it back.

"Will do. Don't freeze out here. I forgot how bitter it gets."

"Spoiled city girl. Enjoy the sunlight for those of us who've forgotten what it feels like."

"I will certainly try. I gotta go now. Airport security and all that."

"Go on, go home. Because it's certainly not here anymore." I gave her a quick hug before heading back outside. The return trip was leaps and bounds better than the flight in. I hadn't been kidding about the first class upgrade. I wanted to be fancy for the holiday. Even just for a few hours. And it was nice. I had leg room, no kid kicking my chair or invading my personal space, a fancy breakfast since the flight was a little early. If Lena ever needed me to go anywhere for business trips, I'd try to weasel my way here every time.

Walking out of the airport was so nice. It wasn't below freezing and the wind didn't hurt my ears. It was the best feeling in the world.

"Sydney! Hey, over here!" I looked around, trying to see through the people. Kelly was waving at me.

"Oh, um, hi. I wasn't expecting anyone to pick me up."

"We weren't going to let you take the bus home on Christmas. Alex is with Jeremiah and her sister, playing with all his new toys. The benefit of having a super aunt is that she can literally fly all his little action figures all over the apartment. It wasn't a problem getting you either since you came back to babysit my kid."

"I mean, it wasn't just him that I came back for. I've got some shows recorded that I want to get watched. Christmas tradition."

"Well don't ever tell Kara that. Because she will abduct you and make you participate in their traditions. All of them."

"Good to know. So, what time do you need me over tonight?"

"Well, I was actually wondering if you wouldn't mind taking him to your place? I want to surprise Alex with an at home date night."

"Oh yeah, sure. That's fine. I'll need to clean up some, but I've got time for that."

"That is awesome. Thank you so much."

"No problem. Jeremiah's great. And he gives me an excuse to put on cheesy Christmas movies and play with toys."

"And he will appreciate that I'm sure. How was your trip back West?"

"Cold. Very cold. Can't say I miss it."

"Really? You didn't miss any of it?"

"Not really, no. When I left, I think I 'missed it' for all of a week. And please, before you start being my therapist, I don't think it's covered by my insurance."

"Oh I'm sure it is. Lena wouldn't give you subpar insurance. Especially not after everything you dealt with. But I won't push if you don't want me to." We got to my place and I grabbed my stuff.

"Thank you. Call me when you're on your way over."

"Will do." I tossed my stuff into my room and looked around. It wasn't a total disaster. I didn't have dirty dishes lying around, mostly because I hadn't wanted to leave them while I'd been gone. I just had random jackets and blankets and books strewn all over the place. It didn't take very long to get it all sorted out and put away. I made myself comfortable on the couch with a movie. Kelly called a couple hours later.

"Hey, Jeremiah and I are almost there. Meant to call when we left, but he had my phone."

"Don't worry about it. I haven't gone anywhere and I'll meet you downstairs." I grabbed my keys and slipped my shoes back on. Kelly was getting Jeremiah out of his car seat when I stepped outside. He saw me and as soon as he was free, ran right at me.

"Sydney! Guess what Santa brought me!"

"Well, I know it wasn't coal, because I know you were a good boy. Did you get some socks? Because I heard some of those elves are really good at knitting."

"No. Who gets socks from Santa? That's silly. Mommy, show Sydney what I got from Auntie Lena!"

"Okay, okay. If you had grabbed it before running off, you could have shown her yourself. Sydney, meet Director Danvers." She held up a little action figure of Alex.

"Wow. That is incredible Jeremiah. You've gotta be the luckiest kid out there. No one else has the DEO director. That's a one of kind toy right there."

"Thanks. Mom was surprised too. But it's cool isn't it?"

"Very. Thanks." I took the backpack of stuff that came along with watching a little kid.

"Okay, so it'll be a few hours. That's okay right?"

"Absolutely. Enjoy your evening, we will be just fine. And if he needs to spend the night or you need me to bring him home, just text me."

"Thank you so much Sydney. I really appreciate it."

"No problem. Go on, go surprise your girlfriend." she smiled, gave Jeremiah a hug and drove off.

"Alright buddy, let's get upstairs and see what sort of things we'll be doing tonight."

We went up and dumped out the backpack. Books, toys, a coloring book, and some movies. Anything a kid could need to stay busy for a few hours.

"What do you want to start with?"

"Oh no! Aliens attacking the city!" he picked up Alex and Martian Manhunter and started running around with them.

"Alright. Right out the gate. Oh no! Those two look like they could use some super help." I picked up the Supergirl toy and flew her around his head.

"Supergirl, quick, there's civilians stuck in the buildings over there! We have to get them to safety!"

"You're right Alex. You two keep fighting the aliens, I'll get them." We ran around for about an hour, crawling under tables, climbing over my furniture, saving National City.

"We did it! The aliens are contained and everyone is safe! Good job Supergirl."

"Thank you J'onn, Alex. Couldn't have done it without you. What do you say we head home and relax for a couple hours? Pizza and movies?"

"Okay." he took the toy from me and sat them all down on the coffee table, "Can we watch this one?" he picked up the Grinch.

"Of course we can. This is one of my favorites. Sit tight." it took a second to find the right remote, but got it going pretty easily. I got my computer out and ordered some pizza, "Wanna come down with me to get some food?"

"Yes!" I paused the movie and we went back downstairs.

"And you're going to give this to the pizza person okay?"

"Why?"

"Because the poor driver is working on Christmas. Gotta make it worth the drive. And it's just nice to do."

"Okay." he took the money from me and waited patiently. I took our pizzas from the driver and nodded at Jeremiah, "Here you. Merry Christmas."

"Well thank you kid. Enjoy your pizza."

The rest of the night was just as easy. I'd watched him enough times to know his moods and what he wanted to do. When I didn't hear anything from Kelly or Alex, I had him change into his pajamas.

"But I don't wanna go to sleep yet."

"You have to at least lay down. It's already past your bedtime and I'm sure you had an early morning. Please? Just here on the couch? We can watch another movie. It doesn't have to be a Christmas one."

"Fine. Wizard of Oz?"

"Of course you'd want to watch that. But sure. Let's go to Kansas." I started it and got us all settled with some blankets.

"Did you know this is Auntie Kara's favorite movie?"

"I did actually. It's come up a couple times. But shh, you gotta be quiet if you want to enjoy it." I expected him to complain about it, but he didn't say anything else. I glanced down and he was asleep. I carefully picked him up and set him on my bed. Much easier than leaving him on the couch. I dozed off on the couch just before the poppy fields. Ironic.

"Sydney, your phone is ringing." I sat, my neck all sorts of messed up from sleeping at a weird angle. Jeremiah was standing next to me, one of my blankets trailing behind him. The sun was barely peeking through my curtains. And my phone was ringing. He had it in his hand.

"Thanks bud. Here, sit down. It's your mom." I answered before it could go to voicemail, "Hey Alex."

"Morning Sydney. Sorry we didn't call you last night. Lost track of time."

"Don't worry about it. Everything went great, Jeremiah went to bed on time, no complaints at all. Right buddy? We had a great night?" I put it on speaker.

"Yup. We played with some toys, watched some movies."

"That's great Jeremiah. I'm glad you had fun. You ready to come home yet?"

"Yeah! Can we have pancakes?"

"Sure. We will have them ready for you when you get home. Is that alright Sydney?"

"Of course. I can handle getting him home. If you guys make me some bacon."

"You Kryptonains are all alike. Eat all our bacon. And I do mean all of it. But yes, I will make sure there is some for you. See you guys in a little bit."

"Bye Mom!"

"Okay, you sit here and I will be out in a second. I need to change. Here, I've got a couple games on here you might like." he happily took my phone and quickly changed into something I hadn't been wearing for a day, "Alright, let's get your stuff packed up and out the door. There's bacon on the line here." for a kid, he was really good at cleaning up his things. I think he wanted food as much as I did.

"Done! Come on, let's go." he pulled me out the door.

"I'm going, I'm going." When we got on, I groaned quietly. If I hadn't had Jeremiah, I might have sworn. Kat was sitting in her usual spot, reading a book. She hadn't seen us though, and I was going to try and keep it that way. So of course the bus driver had to say something.

"Who is this?"

"I'm Jeremiah. Who are you?"

"I'm Monica. What're you doing with Sydney here?"

"She's taking me home. My moms are making us bacon."

"Well that's a wonderful breakfast choice. Take a seat and we will be on our way." He smiled and pulled me down the aisle. We passed Kat and I couldn't help noticing that she was smiling at her book. He let me take the window seat, dangling his feet over the edge.

"Hey Sydney, isn't that the lady on your phone?" Of course he would have noticed. And we were only a few rows behind her and I was pretty sure she could hear us.

"It is, yeah."

"Why?"

"Um, she's my friend."

"Really?"

"Yup."

"Can I go sit by her?" I glanced up and she was clearly trying not to laugh. I saw her nod a little bit.

"If you want to. Just be nice to her. She's like my only friend."

"I promise I'll be good." he slid down and walked up to her, "Hi. Can I sit with you?"

"Sure." she moved over and I smiled. I tried to focus on my phone and not listen to their conversation. It mostly worked. I only heard Jeremiah's half because the kid didn't have an inside voice.

"So you're Sydney's friend? What do you do? Did you know that Sydney works with Lena Luthor? Oh. Did you know that my mom works with Lena Luthor? And Supergirl. Uh huh. I see them all the time. Wanna see what Lena got for me? Okay, just a second." he came back and opened his backpack.

"Which one you looking for?"

"Supergirl and Mom." I helped him find them without getting everything else all over the place.

"Don't get too comfortable. Our stop is coming up."

"Okay." he walked back to Kat, showing off his one of a kind toys. I was pretty sure Lena had had them 3D printed or something in her lab, because they were perfect. Kat sounded rightfully impressed.

"I have never seen this one before. I see this woman all over the city with Supergirl. Is she your mom?"

"Yup." She played with him for a couple minutes before I stood up and had to get him.

"This is us. Come on kid, there's bacon waiting for us."

"Okay. Bye Kat!"

"Bye Jeremiah. Bye Sydney." I waved, smiling a little. It was the first time she'd acknowledged me in a month. She may have only done it because of Jeremiah, but it was something. We enjoyed our breakfast and Alex and Kelly thanked me again for watching him and I headed back home. It was a slow week after that. Work was normal. It was so nice not having to worry about someone attacking Lena since they'd gotten the alien problem figured out. And it felt like everything was getting back to the way it was before the stupid Red K. Almost. The biggest shift came the day before New Year's Eve. Kat texted me.

_Hey. Can we talk?_

_Of course. I'm at work at the moment, but does after work?_

_Sure. Pizza?_

_Yeah. Pizza is perfect. See you there. _I stared at the messages. I didn't want to get my hopes up, but this was something. It was more than I could have asked for. I sat through the next few hours, figuring out what to say, if I was given a chance.

"Everything okay Sydney? You're making an awful lot of noise out there." I stopped tapping my pen. Whoops.

"Yeah. I'm good. Just thinking."

"Want to talk about it?"

"Kind of. You mind?"

"Not at all. Come on, we've got time until my next meeting."

"Okay. So, um, you know how the Red K messed everything up right? Well, it wasn't just with you guys. I screwed things up with Kat. Like, really, well and truly fucked it up. I haven't been able to do anything to fix it yet. I let her have her space. You know, was mature about it. I had messed up and if she didn't want to talk to me, she didn't have to. But I miss her. And I don't know how to explain to her everything that happened. Not without it sounding like a lie."

"Want my opinion?"

"Please. I could use some input."

"Tell her the truth. I know, I know. Sounds insane. But it's your best option. Kara kept her secret for years and it almost destroyed our relationship. If she had told me sooner, I don't think it would have hurt so much."

"Really? I mean, can I do that?"

"Of course you can. Being Kryptonian is part of who you are. You shouldn't hide it. It's cliche, but honesty is the best way to go. And it's not like you have to tell her about all of us, maybe leave that a little vague for Kara's sake, just yourself. She cared about you and I'm sure that hasn't gone away." I sighed, thinking it over. It was insane. But it was something.

"Thanks Lena. Really. I'm glad you trust me enough again to help me."

"Of course. You didn't do any damage that was too hard to repair. You'll see." I went back out to my desk and waited. I left a couple minutes early, with Lena's permission. I ordered some food while I waited.

"You're early." I jumped a little, way more nervous than I needed to be.

"Yeah, um, slow afternoon with Lena. She let me head out a little early. Uh, I didn't know if you would be hungry and saw the line getting long so, um, I ordered you some too." I slid the other plate across the table.

"Thank you. I did skip lunch trying to figure out some lesson plans for next week."

"No problem." I let her eat some, giving either of us a chance to speak up first. 

"So, um,"

"Look, I don't," We started at the same time.

"You go." I said before she could try again.

"Okay. So, this month has been, erm, difficult. And it wasn't just you. I needed the space, but I didn't like it. But I don't know if you can apologize your way out of what happened."

"I know. And believe me, I've thought of ways to try to do just that. But I thought maybe I could explain it? If you'll let me?"

"What is there to explain? You changed Sydney. And not in a good way."

"I know. And I'm sure you're prepared for me to use every excuse in the book. I'm not going to do that to you. Um, you mind going outside and talking? It's kind of loud and I don't want to shout it at you."

"I guess so."

"Thank you." I held the door and followed her outside, "So, here's the truth. And please believe me when I tell you, because it's not something you hear everyday. Do you trust me?"

"I do." she only had to think about it for a little bit. It honestly surprised me a little bit.

"Great. So, um, it's something about me. It's kind of complicated."

"You're not going to tell me you were just going through a phase are you? Because that is only going to make this worse for you."

"No, no, nothing like that. Um, I guess it's easiest to say I'm not entirely from around here."

"Yeah, I know. You moved here from one of the Dakotas."

"It was Nebraska, thank you very much. But not what I mean. I always thought I came from Germany or Ireland or somewhere over there. And I guess, half of me did. It's um, the other half that's a little harder to pinpoint without some extranormal assistance."

"Are you going to tell me that you're part alien? Because that sounds insane."

"I know it does. Believe me, I didn't want to hear it at all. I swear, it's the truth though."

"Yeah, I'm sure it is. This was a mistake. Look, I appreciate the apologies and you agreeing to come see me, but I don't think you can 'explain' yourself." she sped up and I gave her a slight head start before catching up with her, cutting her off only a little bit. She stumbled back, caught off guard. I made sure she didn't fall, "You were behind me a second ago."

"It's a little unnerving, I know. But I swear, I'm telling the truth. I'm half Kryptonian. Same type of alien as Supergirl and her cousin. With a lot of the same abilities. And weakness. Kryptonite. It's uncommon here, but it packs a punch. And not just the green stuff. There's apparently red stuff too. And it goes after the mind instead of the body. And it got me. It was in those Halloween gift bags. It changed my brain. And I'm not going to excuse the things I said or did. There's no excuse. But it wasn't entirely me. And I'm sorry."

"Kryptonian? Red Kryptonite. Really?"

"Yes, really. And I get it if you don't want to see me again after this. But I had to tell you the truth. The real truth. And if you'll let me, I can tell you how I figured it out."

"Sydney, I believe you. This isn't exactly something you can make up. But it's a lot to take in. Like, a lot."

"I know. And I'm not going to ask you to take it all in now and have it automatically fix everything. I'm not. I just needed you to know that I didn't mean any of what I said or did. That is all."

"Okay. I appreciate that. Um, I don't know really what to do with all this."

"That's okay. Really. Take more time, all the space you need. And text me, or don't, entirely your decision."

"That's great of you to say Sydney. And I hate to say it, but I will need more time and space."

"That's okay." I knew I was starting to sound like a broken record, but I didn't know what else to say.

"So, um, I need to head back home. Feed Dom, finish my planning, get some sleep before tomorrow night. Another party with the teachers."

"You guys go all out, it's kind of cool. None of my teachers seemed to have any sort of fun outside of class."

"I think they just like dressing up. It's another costume party. Gives me another excuse to wear mine."

"Well that's exciting. Have fun, really. Um, I need to head home too. Jeremiah was over again and it looks like a mini tornado went through it."

"Good luck with that." she smiled, waved, and walked off. I waved back, watching her walk away. So that probably could have gone better. But I had done it. Told her the truth and she hadn't completely shut me down. I glanced at my phone when I went off.

_Hey, it's short notice, but Brainy and I are having a New Year's party tomorrow night. Going all out. And everyone is invited. Going super cliche here and having costumes be mandatory. Any sort of costume, just don't show up in jeans. You in?_

_Absolutely. Not like I had anything else planned._

_That's the spirit. See you tomorrow night. _Should be fun. It was better than spending the night alone.

"Sydney, this is a party. You came dressed as Supergirl, phenomenally I might add, and you're standing in a corner, with water." Alex came over, dressed as a doctor.

"I know, it's pathetic. I'm just not in a huge party mood. I just didn't feel like being alone tonight."

"It's about Kat isn't it? Sorry, Lena mentioned you were going to talk to her."

"Yeah, she sort of helped me figure out what to say. It worked, kind of. We talked. It's more progress than I've made in a month. But I don't know if it'll be enough."

"Okay. You clearly care about her. You want to fix it. So fix it. You've been waiting on the sidelines, which is usually a smart move, but sometimes, you gotta do something big."

"Like what? I don't want to overwhelm her. Especially after I told her the truth. It's a lot to sort through and it's only been a day."

"You're a smart woman. You'll think of something. I'm going to go find Kelly. Midnight is in half an hour and I don't want to have to search for her."

"Good luck Doctor." I watched her weave through the crowd, easily finding the woman she loved. And saw Nia and Brainy dancing happily off to the side. And all the other happy couples that would be together when the clock struck twelve. And as I kept watching all of them, something clicked. Something I should have figured out a while ago. I found Kara and Lena talking off to the side. Nia had said costumes were mandatory and they hadn't disappointed. Kara was Princess Leia, hair buns and all, and Lena was Rose from _Titanic_.

"Hey Supergirl, great suit."

"Thanks. Um, do you think Nia would be upset if I bailed early? I, um, need to get somewhere. In," I glanced at the clock, "Three minutes." They both smiled.

"I'm sure she'll forgive you. We're all a bunch of hopeless romantics."

"And gossip incessantly apparently."

"It keeps us connected when we talk to each other. Now go get her. You're down to 150 seconds. I'd try and figure out the flying if I were you. It's faster than running."

"Easy for you to say." I muttered, but I was smiling too. They meant well, "See you at work Monday." and I took off. I had never gone down stairs faster. I was going as fast as I could, but I knew it wouldn't be enough. Not when I had to keep weaving through the partiers.

"Come on superpowers. Work dammit." I had 90 seconds left. I started taking giant leaps as I went. People I passed cheered, clearly thinking I was Supergirl acting for them.

"Go get'em Supergirl!" And somehow, that random cheer got through to me. The next time I jumped, my feet did not hit the ground again. I was flying. And it was amazing. It hadn't felt this amazing when I had been able to do it before, but this was all me. No outside influence from a stupid rock. And it was faster. So much faster. I passed over the city with ease and into the suburbs. I dodged a few premature fireworks, the seconds ticking by in my head. I was not going to miss my shot. I saw the house, recognized one of the cars, and scanned the partiers that were outside. I saw the hat and headed down.

"Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! Two! One! HAPPY NEW YEAR!" I skidded to a stop right beside Kat right around the four second mark.

"Sydney? What are you doing here?"

"Starting the year with the woman I love." I pulled her in right when the kazoos, bells, whistles, and fireworks went off. I barely noticed the confetti being tossed at us or the pictures being taken. Kat kissed me back, hand in my hair. We pulled apart, both breathing a little heavily.

"Hi."

"Hey."


End file.
